Nike and JD Sports shut down Manchester’s Trafford Centre on 8 February for a 500-participant community 5K led by MADE Running – the grassroots fitness collective that has grown from pandemic park meetups to Europe’s largest run club in under six years. The activation launched JD’s “We Run This City” campaign, but its strategic significance extends beyond product merchandising.
The trajectory that created the opportunity
MADE Running founder Hermen Dange began running whilst serving time at HMP Manchester for drug conspiracy and money laundering convictions. He used laps of the prison football pitch to manage depression and secure additional time outside his cell. Upon release in 2020, he faced familiar post-incarceration obstacles: employment rejection and deteriorating mental health.
The initial solution was modest – pandemic-permitted park runs with two or three participants, documented on social media at a friend’s suggestion. Nine people attended the first organized session. Within two weeks, attendance reached 50. The collective now coordinates three different run formats, maintains gym facilities, produces branded apparel, and has built a community exceeding 20,000 members according to BBC reporting.
The Trafford Centre event was MADE Running’s largest activation to date. Dange described becoming emotional watching recently released prisoners, individuals on electronic monitoring tags, and participants across age ranges and ethnicities awaiting his pre-race speech in the shopping centre’s corridors. The “No One Gets Left Behind” principle that underpins MADE Running explicitly welcomes participants regardless of pace, criminal background, employment status or running ability.
Manchester’s Trafford Centre: first stop in a nationwide campaign
Participants completed the 5K route through the mall’s interior before finishing at JD’s megastore to collect custom finisher medals. A DJ-led warm-up coordinated by MADE Running’s team preceded the race, with post-event refreshments from The Plant Blend and a Nike Vomero try-on zone allowing immediate product testing. The “We Run This City” campaign started in Manchester but plans to replicate the template in additional UK cities.
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About MADE Running
MADE Running is an inclusive fitness collective based in Manchester, UK. Founded in 2020 by Hermen Dange after his release from HMP Manchester, the organisation hosts multiple weekly runs across different locations, maintains gym facilities, and produces branded apparel. Its core principle ensures no participant is left behind—regardless of fitness level, criminal background, employment status, or running pace. MADE Running has attracted attention from Nike leadership, including meetings with the company’s CEO, and now partners with major brands for community activations.
