Sometimes, in business as in life, luck happens. A fortuitous encounter unlocks latent potential. Being in the right place at the right time sparks an unforeseen opportunity. A serendipitous chain of events sparks a transformational journey. Four run specialty store owners recount one lucky break that changed their fortunes and altered the trajectory of their professional lives.

His Lucky Break: An Unexpected Job Offer from an Running Store Owner 

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a political science degree in 1991, former Badger cross-country and track standout John Long returned to his hometown of St. Paul, MN, and began coaching at a local high school. Thinking he’d pursue high school teaching, Long instead found himself with an unexpected job offer to head team sales at Run N Fun, an upstart local running shop helmed by Perry Bach.

“Perry took a chance on me when I was nothing more than a recent college grad coaching at a local high school,” Long says.

Working at Run N Fun opened Long’s eyes to the business potential of run specialty. Long says Bach was ahead of his time in many respects. He preached an inclusive, customer-first mentality at a time when run shops could afford to be exclusive and invested in enterprising ideas like purchasing a trailer to create a mobile store servicing teams.

“For me, I was in the right place at the right time with the right person in Perry,” says Long, who has been the sole owner of Fleet Feet Minneapolis (formerly Marathon Sports) since 2005.

His Lucky Break: A College Teammate’s Hangover 

As a high school runner in suburban Philadelphia, Ross Martinson began shopping at Bryn Mawr Running Company not long after its opening in 1991. To a young Martinson, the staff of serious runners seemed like running gods.

“I remember seeing them in the row behind us at a Nirvana concert and thinking, ‘Those are the running store guys!’” recalls Martinson, now the owner of the four-store Philadelphia Runner chain.

While attending Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, two of Martinson’s track teammates worked at Bryn Mawr. One particular Sunday, one of Martinson’s teammates was a bit too hungover to go into work, prompting the other Bryn Mawr employee to ask Martinson if he wanted to fill in. Martinson obliged.

When Martinson arrived at the shop, the owner had just completed his long run, heard about his no-show employee, looked upon the sacrificial substitute before him and sighed, “Alright, I’ll train him.” 

“Twenty minutes later,” Martinson says, “I was overcoming my shyness asking people if they needed help. And 29 years later, I’m still at a running store having found my place in life despite never applying.”

Her Lucky Break: Being Pointed to Parker Karnan

With plans of opening a running store in Amarillo, TX, on her mind, Karen Roberts attended The Running Event in 2008 eager to meet and learn from industry veterans. Sitting at a barbeque restaurant, Roberts struck up a conversation with a few seasoned run specialty retailers at her table. As Roberts detailed her entrepreneurial plans, Rich Wills, the owner of three FITniche stores in Florida, listened intently before offering Roberts a life-shaping suggestion.

“If you want to open a running store,” Wills told Roberts, “then you need to talk to that man.”

That man was Parker Karnan, a former Brooks employee-turned-top notch industry consultant.

Over the last 17 years, Karnan has been a source of information, encouragement and guidance for Roberts. Karnan has helped Roberts navigate Get Fit’s opening in 2009, early growing pains, inventory issues and expansion plans, including the recent debut of a second Get Fit store in Amarillo. 

“He has pointed me in the right direction and offered sage advice,” Roberts says of Karnan. “He has seen me and Get Fit blossom.”

Her Lucky Break: An Invitation from a Competitor 

When Oklahoma native and former Georgetown harrier Genie Beaver moved to Atlanta in 2000, she began running with the team at Phidippides, a local running store chain owned by former Olympian Jeff Galloway. Clutching visions of launching her own running shop in a different part of Atlanta, Beaver contacted Galloway directly to see if he might be willing to chat about the run specialty business.

“Instead of seeing me as competition, he was incredibly generous,” Beaver says of Galloway, the running icon who passed away on February 25. 

Galloway welcomed Beaver into his shop and allowed her to work alongside his team. Beaver credits Galloway’s openness and her experience in his store for giving her the confidence to open West Stride in 2008. 

“While Jeff was fierce on the roads, he believed in community over competition in run specialty,” Beaver says. “That generosity, access and timing made a tremendous difference in my early career, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”