An Open-To-All Space for Running, Socializing, and Everything In-Between

In September 2024, the Berlin Marathon celebrated its 50th anniversary. With 60.000 people at the starting line, the marathon set record-high attendance.

Berlin’s running scene has long been established, but recent years have seen a burgeoning interest among new communities, with running clubs and brands emerging regularly.

As a timely celebration of this scene, Beinghunted. and New Balance launched The Center For Modern Running during the marathon week. The center paid homage to everything running and serving as a space for community events, exhibitions, product testing, design history, recovery facilities, and a cafe hosted by The Barn. In other words, a multi-purpose space placed in the heart of the city at the historic Kranzler building. Aside from being a prime location along the marathon route the Kranzler location is a staggering 2000sqm which lent itself perfect to the multi-activity space we wanted to create.

The Center For Modern Running was developed to welcome all runners – passersby and industry insiders alike, with a packed program of daily events ranging from runs to panel talks and podcast recordings. This accessibility led to a surging interest throughout the week, making it a stand-out highlight in a packed program of activations across the city.

Beinghunted. developed the idea of the center and conceptualized all aspects, from on-site activations to interior components, flow, and usage. Engaging a wider audience was crucial for developing this five-day public event. In doing so, we parted ways with the usual ‘pinnacle crowd’ method and shifted the focus to an all-encompassing project appealing to the interested public. 

Engaging guests and incentivizing them to interact with the whole space was essential in a 2000sqm space with thousands of daily visitors. For this, Beinghunted developed a game concept that encouraged visitors to experience all aspects of the exhibition. For the 2,500 daily visitors, the game component became a primus motor in facilitating flow and maintaining interest. 

The center’s distinct aesthetic language developed by Berlin-based VAUST Studio set a new tone for a publicly accessible brand hub unprecedented in the field of sportswear. Additional work by Joy Studio and GROTESK Group established a cohesive visual universe that gave the project an echo into global awareness.

Special thanks to the countless people who made the project come true, to VAUST, GROTESK, Joy Studio, The Barn, Rocket + Basil, and many others