From one Friday night run to 50,000 participants: Charlie Allen’s Friday Night Lights journey
Founded in early 2022, Friday Night Lights started with a simple idea: reclaiming Fridays.
What began as one honest LinkedIn post and a seven-person run in southeast London has since grown into a global movement of more than 50,000 runners.
Today, backed by London Marathon Events, FNL is redefining what running – and Friday nights – look like, blending community, culture and celebration in a way that’s only just getting started.
Why did you start FNL and why do you run?
“I started FNL because I needed a better Friday night. End of 2021, I made a decision to go 99% sober after a particularly rough Christmas
party – and I wrote about it on LinkedIn. It went viral. Hundreds of people messaged me saying they felt the same
way – they wanted to be social on a Friday but didn't want the hangover. So, in January 2022, seven of us went for a run in southeast
London on a Friday night. That was it. That was the start.
“I run because it makes me feel like the best version of myself. It clears my head, gives me energy, and connects me to people I'd never have met otherwise. Running gave me my Friday nights back – and now
it's given tens of thousands of other people theirs too.”
What do you see as the future of running?
“Running is becoming the new going out. The culture has shifted massively – people want experiences, not just exercise. They want community, atmosphere, something to post about, something to feel part of. That's why run clubs have exploded. People don't just want to run – they want to belong.”
What makes the TCS London Marathon and FNK 5K special?
“This is genuinely a first – a fully produced night-time 5K alongside
the TCS London Marathon. That's never happened before.
“The whole thing has been designed to feel like a Friday Night Lights event – the sunset start, the lighting,
the music, the atmosphere – but it's sitting within the biggest
marathon weekend in the world. That combination is genuinely unique.”
What are your top tips for first-timers?
“Don't worry about your pace. The atmosphere carries
you. Wear something you feel good in. Arrive early and soak up the
village. And stay afterwards – the best bit of an FNL event is always
what happens after you cross the Finish Line.”
What's the one piece of kit you're never without for FNL?
“A decent pair of running shoes and a stupid grin. That's all you need.”
What can participants expect on the night?
“We wanted a course that felt intimate but iconic. With the 19:45 start, you're catching that golden-hour light fading into dusk as you run, which is one of the most special things about our events. The setting does a lot of the work for us.”
How have you approached the lighting and music design?
“Lighting is everything for FNL – it's literally in the name. We build our events around festival-grade production, so you'll see neon lighting rigs, UV installations, and our signature colour palette – cyan, magenta, yellow – running through the course. The music is live DJ sets that build from the warm-up zone through to the Start Line countdown and right into the Finish. It's designed to feel like a night out, not a race.”
How do you expect runners to feel at the event?
“Like they're part of something. That's always the goal. When you're running through a course that's been lit and soundtracked and designed to make you feel amazing – surrounded by thousands of other people who all chose a run over a night out – it hits different. People always say they didn't expect it to feel like that. That's the bit I'm most proud of.”
Kick off Marathon Week with the TCSLM & FNL 5K
