A few years ago, Luke Beard,  the CEO of Exposure, posted this on twitter:

Luke was (at the time) running a visual-storytelling platform that I’ve used on and off for nearly a decade. He connected with Dan Kuntz and just a short time later, the first iteration of Any Distance was born. Think of this early version as an “Unfold” for runners – you could connect it to the activity tracker of your choice and get beautifully designed, shareable images of your workouts. It appealed to many folks in the same way that Unfold did – these were visually interesting ways to share my activity and significantly more fun than what Strava offered at the time. Although I’m a less frequent Instagram user than I used to be, I still post frequently on my stories, and the designer in me loves the everything about this.

Over time, Any Distance evolved into more of a community, supporting in-app tracking, badges, a community feed, video, many many more activity types, and a plethora of painstakingly crafted design details. The app now supports 90+ activity types. However, you won’t find segment tracking, leaderboards, or highly detailed performance stats here…and that’s kind of the point.

The most recent updates included the launch of Active Clubs – members can now set up a close friends-style social network of up to 100 friends (anyone remember Path?) to share fitness activities. These mini communities aren’t designed for competition, but rather as a motivational tool to encourage incremental healthy lifestyle changes. Any Distance wants to celebrate any kind of movement in your life, whether it be short, long, a stroller run, walking meeting, cold plunge, or trail run (all available activity types).

What has been so impressive has been the cultivation of brand and community. The Atlanta-based company has been slowly and deliberately building a brand that people care about. Growth has been deliberate, branding choices have been on-point, and the dedicated, niche, following reflects that work.

In a time where so many companies have grown to the point of being faceless, personality-less behemoths, it’s refreshing to have a brand that feels like it sweats the details and feels…fun. There are dozens of design details and delightful moments painstakingly integrated into the app and branding. Transitions. Animations. Andi, the Any Distance mascot. Do I need  a dozen options for my app icon? No, but dang it sure is fun to have the option.

When is the last time a company had swag that you *actually* wanted to own?

https://store.anydistance.club/

The badge and reward system, while it won’t be for everyone, feels fun and unique. You have your typical badges for time and distance, but the addition of unique unlockables for locations, special events, swag discounts and brand collaborations feels intentional and rewarding. After a Halloween run, I unlocked the “Thriller McCreeper”, an adorable yet terrifying 3D ve