Runner, musician, DJ, leader, teacher, speaker, poet, Lululemon global run ambassador and founder of the alternative running club Run Dem Crew ... Charlie Dark has an impressive list of accolades to his name. And now, he can add one more – MBE.
Dark has been awarded an MBE for his huge contributions to running and to young people. He’s connected people not just in London but across the world, of all backgrounds, ages and fitness levels. By starting a running crew specifically designed for people who didn’t typically consider themselves ‘runners’, or thought traditional running clubs were perhaps a bit too square, he’s changed the game of urban running for good.
Run Dem Crew, which was founded back in 2007, has shown how running can have a truly positive impact on people’s lives. With the community, Dark has created something quite special, providing a support system for its members and offering a safe, inclusive and diverse space for everyone – and anyone – to run and move their bodies.
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‘I was at Heathrow on my way to LA – I was about to get on the plane, and my phone rang,’ Dark tells me. ‘Sanchia [Dark’s partner] called me and said, “this really important-looking letter has arrived and I think I need to open it”. I asked if it was addressed to her and she said it was addressed to me, so I questioned why she felt she needed to open it and she kept saying “I think it’s really important”.’
Sanchia opened the letter on FaceTime and started screaming.
‘I’ve worked so hard for it, and it’s been such a long journey, so I felt this real kind of release – like “I’ve done it”,’ he says.
‘I was really, really happy,’ he continues. ‘It’s a bit overwhelming in the days that follow. Once they send a letter to you, they tell you that you can’t tell anyone, so you have to keep it secret. And then, finally, the day comes when they announce it and I was out of the country again. I was in New York so I woke up my phone buzzing – and I thought, “what’s going on?” – and that’s when everyone found out about my MBE. It’s amazing. I’m really happy, my mum’s happy, everyone in the crew is happy. Hard work pays off.’
Naturally, the accolade has made him reflect on the journey he’s been on: ‘It’s a reminder that I took the right path – and it’s been a long and winding path,’ he says.
Is it the proudest moment of his career so far? ‘I’d say that other than holding my first child in my arms for the first time, I would say yeah, definitely, getting an MBE is my proudest moment,’ he admits.
It means even more to Dark as his grandfather, he says, was awarded an OBE. ‘It’s been this thing that just hovers in your mind. Wondering if I can follow in his footsteps,’ he says. ‘I think a lot of people in my family and people I went school with were like, he’s never gonna make it. Even people I know from the music industry questioned what I was doing when I deviated into the world of wellness and fitness and running.
‘And now people who have been saying for the past 16 years, “I’m coming to Run Dem next week”, they actually get it and they’re turning up – because of the MBE, they understand it’s a real thing. I think you need it in certain circles – you need that official stamp of approval that says; we recognise what you’re doing.’
While the Run Dem Crew approach was originally unorthodox, it’s now come to provide a blueprint for others to follow. ‘My idea for Run Dem Crew has always been open source from the beginning. I knew that for it to reach its full potential, I couldn’t do it by myself, so I’ve always been pretty encouraging for other people to start their own groups,’ he explains. ‘But I always thought that was going to be in running alone – so it’s interesting when I see people like Swim Dem Crew, Black Unity Bike Ride and Black Trail Runners – all these people have gone off and found different niches.’
The phrase you can’t be what you can’t see is etched into Dark’s mind: ‘Once you see someone doing it, and being quite open with how they did it, and willing to help you do your thing, that actually just creates a great environment for everyone,’ he explains. ‘I know that Run Dem is not for everyone. They might want to go to Outrunners or one of the other hundreds of running groups that have since sprung up, particularly in London, but what’s really great now is that there’s a place for everyone. And if there isn’t a place, people feel empowered to start their own thing.’
The most exciting thing about being awarded an MBE? The opportunities and doors that will now open. ‘It’s amazing the conversations you can now have, and the way that people are more willing to listen to your story because you’ve got these letters after your name,’ Dark says. ‘Because my whole thing is, I love running, it’s changed my life and I’ve shared this with many people to hope to change their lives. Now I can continue doing that on a wider scale, which is a win for everyone.’
Dark wants to use this new platform to create real, systemic change. ‘We’re only halfway through the journey. I always looked at it as a 40-year journey – we’re only 16 years in – we’ve still got more lives to change, more people to touch, more people to meet, more people to cheer through the London Marathon and more people to encourage to take part.
‘I’ve realised that certain people are never going to run, but they want to move. So we’re going to start looking into walking – and really getting people exploring our cities on foot, as groups who walk together.’
Mentoring the next generation has always been a priority for Dark, so trying to create more future leaders is right at the top of his to-do list. ‘We’ve had a lot of great kids come out of Run Dem, and they’re making some serious moves now. Once your foot is in the door, you got to help as many people through as you can before it springs back.’
Dark also says he’s going to own his success. ‘If I don’t step into my light, then how can others step into theirs? I had this really powerful moment where I realised; you’ve got all these people who come to Run Dem every week, and they’re coming running because you’re there. They’re following this idea that you’re doing and you don’t want to be the boss man. You’re still like, “Oh, yes, this little running thing that I do with my mates”, but you have to own it. You’ve got to become the leader. And you’ve got to start making the important decisions.’
From walking initiatives and mentoring the young, to getting out into the trails – ‘the story in the city has been told, so now it’s about getting into the countryside and diversifying the trails’ he says, it’s clear Dark has a long list of things he wants to tackle head-on.
But first, he jokes, he’s going to change all his bank cards so they say ‘MBE’ after his name.
