Merrell | Destination Hackney

Destination Hackney was an unconventional ultra-relay race unlike anything the London running circuit had seen. Five teams of five runners navigated 80km of UK trails, threading through varied terrain before arriving at the heart of the capital. There were five checkpoints along the route, but no handed-down strategy for reaching them. Teams ran on instinct and endurance, making decisions in the field with no script to follow.

The format was deliberately raw. As Merrell spokesperson Simon Sweeney put it, the ambition was to “tear up the racing rulebook and do something that felt genuinely alive.” The event placed the Agility Peak 6 at the centre of a live testing environment, letting the shoe speak through performance across real conditions rather than controlled settings.

Team Trail, led by runner and creative Liam Furneaux, crossed the finish line first in Hackney to take the crown. Grit, sharp navigation, and probably a few arguments along the way.

What made Destination Hackney land was what it demanded of its participants. The meaning came from the accumulated decisions and effort required to finish. Runners arrived in Hackney with mud on their shoes and something to show for it.

The Agility Peak 6 took everything the route threw at it: mixed terrain, shifting surfaces, 80km of sustained punishment. The race was its proof of concept.

When the last runners crossed the line, the event found a second wind. Brandnation created an afterparty at Netil360, one of East London’s best rooftop venues, where the Merrell brand universe was given room to breathe. The space translated the raw energy of the race into something a little more considered, a little more Hackney. Tastemakers from London’s running, creative and outdoor communities gathered on the roof as the evening settled in, carrying the conversation well beyond the finish line and into the culture around it.