TRACK MAFIA // LONDON

‘We started this little thing for no reason other than we wanted to run, we wanted to have fun and get faster,’ says Track Mafia co-founder Cory Wharton-malcolm (aka @bitbeefy). ‘So three of us started running around the track and over the years it’s progressed and grown into this beautiful thing.’

Wharton-malcolm, who is a qualified running coach – along with being an effervescent trackside presence – leads the signature track sessions on Thursday nights from 6:30-8:30pm at Paddington Recreation Ground in West London. It’s an open invitation to ‘like-minded souls in search of madness’ and although the atmosphere is laid-back, with plenty of laughs, the sessions are a serious mix of running drills and interval work that left some sore legs in the RW office the morning after we joined for them for a session.

So how does WhartonMalcolm explain the appeal? ‘If you believe in something, that’s infectious. And it’s all geared towards engaging a different demographic who, for whatever reason, wouldn’t end up at a traditional running club. To me, it’s not necessarily about getting faster and smashing PBS. It’s about feeling better about yourself and being happy with the way that you move and the way that you run. My goals are more for my community, more for my friends, more for my runners and I guess the goal for us is to keep exploring, keep doing our utmost to push this sport on.’

As well as track Thursdays, there are also regular off-track Sunday outings, other sessions and events, and members travel all over the world together to race and support crew members racing. One big, slightly crazy, but very happy family.

WORDS WE LIVE BY

‘We want people to fall in love with their ability to get from point A to point B with a smile on their face.’

WHAT WE WEAR

Track Mafia clobber isn’t compulsory, but it looks so good it would be a shame not to.

WHO WE ARE ‘

We look for attitude, a willingness to embrace discomfort, and those with an eye for the outlandish and ridiculous,’ says Wharton-malcolm.

FOLLOW US

On instagram @trackmafia_