It’s been another awesome few weeks working hard to get EDRA off the ground. It’s all blood, sweat and coffee here at EDRA HQ.

Hopefully you’ve seen the van and given us a wave, joined us out on the road at events, or got out in the kit. In any case, we’re so grateful for the support so far. We’re even starting to get ‘EDRA in the wild’ updates, along with orders coming in from further afield, which is awesome to see.

Canal Club continues, and with every session we’re figuring out what works best to give people the support they need to get the work done. The mission is simple: to create a supportive, pressure free environment where people can advance their running, regardless of their current fitness or form.

Run sessions can be tough, but I think the spirit people bring to these sessions lightens the load. Leeds doesn’t need another run club, but I’m convinced it’s better for having this one.

So far, we’ve also had support from OTE and CANS to help fill the coolbox, which is massively appreciated. Hope to see you Saturday. Join the Strava group or follow us on Instagram or Facebook for the details.

Saturday 15th saw a split in the EDRA team. I headed off to tick off a bucket list event at the Ilkley Skyline race, while Liv and Abby teamed up with Iron Tiger Café in Bramhope for a Leeds Ironman shakeout run, followed by sign making in the café.

Chris and the team at Iron Tiger have been so supportive during our first few weeks. They even have some of the kit on display for you to admire while you get stuck into their top notch Biscoff and maple overnight oats, so do pop in if you’re in the area.

I’m really grateful to them, and a huge well done to both Chris and Kat on their inspiring Ironman achievements.

The following weekend, Team EDRA got to have some fun at Moova Run Fest. If you’re not familiar with Moova, check them out on Instagram. They’re doing an amazing job of inspiring people to exercise, including running, by keeping it fun, welcoming and social.

We met loads of ace people at our stall at the brilliant Left Bank Leeds before getting out for one of the four group runs. It was a first for me running in such a big group with music blasting and everyone in full festival mode, and I had a great time.

It’s awesome to see how the sport is evolving and finding new ways to engage people.

There were some cool new businesses there too, including Kefiyo, a frozen yoghurt place in Headingley that has quickly become a favourite after Tuesday track sessions, and Nirva, a no and low alcohol tequila brand that tastes awesome and went down perfectly after the run.

Thanks so much to the Moova team for having us, and especially to Milla for the incredible hospitality. Hopefully we’ll be back again.

Last weekend brought another first: a full EDRA pop up shop at our local speciality coffee and goods shop, Onwards.

Liv, Ziggy and I had a lovely morning in the shop meeting people and talking through the journey behind our first line of running apparel, and all the little decisions that led to the features you see in the finished kit.

I can’t speak highly enough of Rob and the team. They’ve been enormously supportive since before we even had anything to hang on a rail.

This weekend, we’ve got Canal Club again, with over/unders back by popular demand. We’re also following up the Onwards pop up with a special, and now sold out, Stainburn Forest run alongside Rob’s new venture, Further, a portable way of getting outrageously good coffee and tasty goods.

I’m unfortunately out of action running wise after stupidly rolling my ankle on an innocuous set of steps, but we’ll be there with the van and some surprise goodies for what should be a great morning.

Thanks again for all your support.

I’m loving the opportunity to work on developing great kit, and we’ve got some genuinely exciting things just around the corner. I really appreciate everyone who is helping us get EDRA off the ground. 

Nathan