ON SQUADRACE
Turning underground race culture into a global brand platform
On Running’s SquadRace event is a global relay series that brings local running crews together after dark. Parking garages turn into race tracks, lights come up, the music hits, and the energy feels more like a block party than a marathon. Happylucky partnered with On to evolve SquadRace into a signature brand experience that could light up cities across the Western Hemisphere while keeping its gritty, community-driven edge.
Opportunity
Running culture is becoming just as much about community and running with a crew as it is about personal bests or competition. On wanted to evolve SquadRace into a fully owned brand platform—one that could scale globally while retaining its grassroots feel. Their goals were to deepen connections with running communities in key markets, showcase On’s performance innovation, and position On as the brand leading what’s next in running culture.
Insight
Runners don’t just race for time. They race for tribe. The modern running community thrives on shared energy, local pride, and the moments that live long after the finish line. For On, the win at the end of the night was about more than speed; it was about creating the most ownably On experience in running: premium, cinematic, raw, and community-driven all at once.
Approach
Happylucky led creative and production across all North American events, developed the full event toolkit and playbook for Latin America, and designed every touchpoint of the experience—from track layout and lighting design to motion assets and apparel.
We built a modular event system adaptable to each city, blending premium On aesthetics with the pulse of local culture.
Highlights included theatrical lighting, dynamic race brackets, live DJ sets, recovery zones, and after-party moments that turned competition into celebration.
Each city crowned its champions, who then advanced to the global final in Miami—a multi-floor, high-energy event that embodied the fusion of sport, style, and spectacle.
Results
- 2031 Participants (+100% goal) Sold-out team signups in every city
- Maxed spectator attendance and capacity crowds
- 520 Million impressions across evergreen content captured for On’s social, e-comm, and future campaigns
- Consistent event identity scalable across 10 cities and two continents
- On SquadRace established as the brand’s most anticipated annual running experience
