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veryone who attends The Running Event in San Antonio next month most likely got their start somewhere other than their current position — and for some running store leaders, that start often happened at another run specialty shop. Gaining an industry foothold elsewhere before entering their own retail leadership rank has its definite perks, from learning product details to seeing operations up close to understanding the systems and process that contribute to success.

Here, four running store leaders talk about their entry into the run specialty world and how it inspired the evolution of their own retail operation.

Nathan Hohenstein
He now owns … Tortoise & Hare Sports in Glendale, AZ, alongside his wife, Rebecca.
But he previously worked at … Playmakers in Okemos, MI, from 1999-2005. He also spent five years working at Marathon Sports stores in and around Boston.

Hohenstein describes Playmakers founder Curt Munson and former owner John Benedict as father figures who had a profound impact on his life. And he calls Playmakers “a unicorn.” The 2010 Store of the Year, Playmakers – a massive, single-store operation – is known for its laser-like focus on customer service, community outreach and staff development, which included paying for Hohenstein to become a certified pedorthist.

“I was so incredibly fortunate and blessed to have started there and to see up front and at a deep level what great retail is in really concrete ways,” Hohenstein says.

Living and breathing the “Playmakers Way” for six years proved “incredibly advantageous” for the future running store owner. Hohenstein says he gained a deep appreciation for compelling footwear, marveling at Munson’s intuitive ability to identify “good product.” He also saw a retail operation ceaselessly centered on the customer experience and devoted to adding value to its community. Playmakers’ longstanding Good Form Running clinics, for instance, have armed thousands or individuals with the knowledge and skills to run healthier, easier and faster.

“At Playmakers, there was a relentless passion to improve,” says Hohenstein, who brought Good Form Running to Tortoise & Hare with great success.

While Playmakers provided Hohenstein some of running retail’s core fundamentals, Marathon Sports owner Colin Peddie showed Hohenstein how to navigate vendor relationships.

“Colin was great at connecting with vendors and figuring out what was important to them and how Marathon could be their boots on the ground,” Hohenstein says.

Marathon also gave Hohenstein the necessary kick to pursue his own entrepreneurial ambitions. Living in Boston and working three jobs, including a part-time role at Marathon, Hohenstein realized he was not afraid of hard work or risk.

“So, I either needed to get out of the industry or figure out a way to become an owner,” he says.

At Tortoise & Hare, which opened in 2012, Hohenstein borrows heavily from his past experiences at Playmakers and Marathon and has built a run specialty shop that has appeared on every Best Running Stores list since 2016, including earning multiple Store of the Year finalist nods.

“I benefitted from seeing things done at such a high level,” Hohenstein says.

Kathy Dalby
She now leads … Pacers, serving as the CEO and president of a company with five retail locations around Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia.
But she previously worked at … Village Runner in Redondo Beach, CA.

Dalby landed at Village Runner after completing high school. She worked for store owner Mike Ward “back in the days when you’d work the store by yourself and lace up all the shoes.” A cool California beachside breeze swooped in the front door and immediately accessible trails allowed Dalby to enjoy post-shift runs from the store.

“It was the most chill job I ever had,” says Dalby, who worked at Village Runner during summers and holiday breaks from her studies at Michigan State University.

Village Runner introduced Dalby to high-performance running footwear, road race management and the idea of running as a lifestyle. She enjoyed helping customers and looking at a wall of “pretty shoes.” Even still, it seemed more fun job than potential long-term career.

“I really didn’t know run specialty was a thing,” Dalby confesses.

Upon graduating college, Dalby moved to Washington, D.C. She started working for associations, then law firms, then event management. One day, a friend of Dalby’s invited her to tag along on a visit to Pacers for new shoes. While the friend got her shoes, Dalby got a weekend job as a part-time fitter at Pacers’ Alexandria location.

After Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Dalby spearheaded a road race that raised $130,000 for relief efforts. That snowballed into the creation of Pacers Events, an equity strategy at Pacers and Dalby’s current role as the company’s CEO and president.

Her experience at Village Runner, however, never strays far from her mind. 

“What a great job to go in everyday and help people get healthy,” Dalby says. “That was Village Runner and it’s something I always come back to at Pacers. Ultimately, what we do is fun, and we can’t take ourselves too seriously.”

Scott Tantino
He now owns … North Wales Running Company in North Wales, PA, and All Kinds of Fast in Phoenixville, PA.
But he previously worked at … Bryn Mawr Running Company in suburban Philadelphia.

Hunting for a part-time job while attending Villanova University, Tantino walked into Bryn Mawr Running Company – a store he frequented as a prep athlete – ready for a formal interview. Instead, he nervously followed Bryn Mawr Running Company owner Bob Schwelm around the store in occasional conversation until Schwelm turned around and asked Tantino when he was coming back.

“That’s so Bob,” Tantino says.

In all, Tantino worked about five years at Bryn Mawr, balancing shifts on the floor with coaching and post-graduate studies at Villanova.

“And I loved all of it,” Tantino says. “Fitting people for shoes was a puzzle every time and it was a fun place to show up for work with a great bunch of people.”

In particular, Tantino admired Schwelm, who was kind, patient and eager to offer genuine help to customers who walked in the shop – something he actively evaluated with every new hire at his shop.

“Bob could care less about someone’s running background,” Tantino says. “He wanted to know how they treated people. Would I want this person to fit my mother? That was his approach and I never forgot it.”

Disenchanted with his PhD program, Tantino pitched Schwelm on the idea of opening a running store about 40 minutes away in North Wales, Tantino’s hometown. Schwelm went for it and North Wales Running Company opened in 2006.

Schwelm served as Tantino’s partner for the opening year and played an active role in setting up the store, opening accounts with vendors and helping Tantino get his bearings as a small business owner.

“The greatest set of training wheels in the world,” Tantino says.

From Schwelm, Tantino says he learned the value of carrying niche products and making a specialty store special. It led Tantino to take a chance on upstart brands like Topo and resurgent brands like Puma and Diadora at North Wales Running Company and All Kinds of Fast.

“You want people to try on a brand they never heard of or to feel like they’re discovering something,” Tantino says. “Bob drilled that into our heads.”

Schwelm also emphasized fun and positivity. He would perform physical comedy to elicit a chuckle from employees and frequently reminded staff they were a constructive piece of someone’s day.

“I wouldn’t be doing what I am today had I worked at any other store but Bob’s,” Tantino says. “He was so giving of his time, resources and influence and provided a great example to follow.”

Chris Hughes
He is now … the director of retail operations at Track Shack, the Orlando-based running store his parents, Jon and Betsy Hughes, have owned and operated since 1983.
But he previously worked at … the late Capital City Runners in Tallahassee, FL, and 1st Place Sports in Jacksonville, FL.

At 15, Hughes told his parents he wanted to be in the run specialty business. Naturally, he worked at Track Shack as a teen to learn the basics of the market and the family business.

While attending Florida State University, Hughes then became the first employee at Capital City Runners, a Tallahassee-based shop opened by elite runners Kevin Sullivan and Nathan Brannen.

“Even though I was 20 years old, I had the most specialty experience on the floor, so I was training staff from day one,” says Hughes, who also helped with buying and staff management.

After graduating from FSU, Hughes’ parents encouraged him to continue gaining experience elsewhere, either in retail or on the vendor side of the business.

“They didn’t want me to feel pigeonholed,” Hughes says of his parents.

In early 2012, Hughes moved to Jacksonville to work under Doug and Jane Alred at 1st Place Sports. He served as the assistant manager at the company’s biggest store before taking on a “pseudo assistant GM role” and supporting day-to-day operations as well as staff training at the multi-door business.

He calls his time at 1st Place Sports – his first full-time job – “transformative.” He learned accountability and management skills and saw how a different high-performing run specialty business attacked operations. The Alreds also directed Hughes to join the local Galloway program as a group leader. The immersive experience opened his eyes to issues of access in the sport and the importance of creating a positive environment for runners of all shapes, sizes and abilities.

After nearly two years at 1st Place, Hughes returned to Track Shack ready to contribute to the family business and motivated by his experience at 1st Place. Hughes installed promotions like buy-three-get-one-free sock offers that increased Track Shack’s sock sales more than 25 percent. He also strengthened Track Shack’s community ties with a welcoming Wednesday night group run from the store.

“I’m forever grateful to 1st Place because that’s where I grew up,” Hughes says. “I came in with an ego, and I needed to learn I didn’t know as much as I thought I did.”