Club milestones, expansion updates, community stories and the journey of building a running club that can genuinely go global.
Raihan Uddin establishes Multi Ethnic Running Club with a single mission: make running genuinely accessible to every community. MERC begins weekly sessions in Southend, building from the ground up.
MERC incorporates as a Community Interest Company, establishing the community-first governance model that ensures legal transparency and accountability. Every decision is now formally in service of the community.
MERC participates in the HARP24 24-hour charity relay, raising funds for Southend’s homeless charity. The team runs through the night together — a defining moment for the club’s community identity.
MERC hosts and participates in community events, cementing its place as the inclusive running club of choice in Southend. The Mulberry Fun Run brings all abilities together for a flagship community run.
MERC begins formal UK city expansion with London and Birmingham chapters in active development. The captain-franchise model is being prepared for national rollout, with international expansion on the roadmap.
Establishing a verified, trained MERC captain in every major UK city. Applications are open. Every city without a captain is an opportunity.
Actively pursuing NHS social prescribing partnerships, Sport England funding, and public health commissioning to formalise MERC’s health impact.
The long-term roadmap: a MERC chapter in every major city worldwide. The model is ready. The mission scales.
Building sponsorship, CSR partnerships and grant relationships to fund expansion, support the captain network and deliver measurable community health outcomes.
Continued development of the MERC app and member platform to support the growing captain network, session scheduling and participation tracking.
The MERC Gazette publishes regular stories, run reports and member features — building the public evidence base of MERC’s community impact.
MERC is growing. The best time to be part of it is now — as a member, a captain, a partner, or a funder.
