Asked for a word to characterize his opening year at The Outpost Running & Walking Co. in Little Silver, NJ, Craig Segal recedes into contemplative thought. Silence covers the room before Segal, measured and mindful, finds a fitting reply.

“Rewarding,” he says. “If I zoom out and think about what we’ve been able to build over the first year, it's incredibly exciting. People have shown up at our events and engaged with our store.”

Take The Outpost’s inaugural Global Running Day event on Wednesday, June 4. At the Royal Relays – a 4x1-mile race inspired by local streets bearing names like Queens Drive, Kings Road and Prince Place – about 130 runners participated in the lively evening featuring creative team names, mammoth amounts of spunk and post-run ice cream. 

Or the following day when The Outpost hosted a talented crop of local high school track athletes at the shop and delivered a special gift: custom race-day kits for the nearing New Balance Nationals Outdoors meet in Philadelphia.

As the teens flashed smiles and traded fist bumps, Segal paused in appreciation. The day’s energy and optimism personified Segal’s vision for The Outpost.

“It was the ‘Why’ we do this,” Segal says. “I’m big on meeting people where they are, whether they’re running a 10-minute mile or chasing the 4-minute mile. It’s about being excited for people and where they are on their journey.”

Setting off on his own

After more than a dozen years of co-owning a different New Jersey-based running store, Segal fulfilled his own entrepreneurial ambitions last year when he launched The Outpost on July 31, 2024.

Segal’s long history in run specialty generated important benefits for his turn as a solo entrepreneur. Existing personal relationships with vendor reps helped him open accounts – frequently a challenge for new run specialty shops – and some staff from his previous store elected to join him at The Outpost. Both allowed Segal to hit the ground running.

Knowing what it takes to capture results in the run specialty world, Segal anticipated a lot of hard work and long hours – and both were givens in year one. Accelerating product prices, more drastic than he had seen before, presented an unexpected challenge, but Segal focused on executing his playbook.

He chose Little Silver – a borough located just a few miles off the central New Jersey coastline – for its active, pro-small business populace and access to strong high school programs. And he’s tapped into both to propel business at his 2000-square-foot retail shop. 

Through store events like the Royal Relays, an information and inspiration-dispensing podcast and lively programming like the Daily Grind Winter Challenge, The Outpost has ingratiated itself with locals. Through its coverage of the local prep harrier scene on social media and awarding Performer of the Week honors during the cross-country season, The Outpost has elevated its profile with the area’s young runners and gained valuable street cred.

“Year One was about setting the baseline for a new flow of business,” Segal says. “Starting fresh with a new brand and a new name that’s not recognized, you don’t really know what to expect, but year one has really exceeded my expectations.”

Gaining perspective, looking ahead

Year One brought important lessons, too. Segal says he’s learned a lot about himself and the people around him, particularly those who offer genuine support and share his commitment to serving The Outpost’s mission. The latter has enabled Segal to resist doing everything himself, the default tactic of many early-stage entrepreneurs.

“I’ve learned I need to delegate to staff and trust their abilities,” he says.

Segal is also doing his best to exercise patience and apply sound perspective. As a running retailer, the day might be filled with tasks demanding a sprint, but a disciplined, well-executed pace is crucial to long-term viability.

“I’m understanding more and more this is a long game,” he says. “I’m not as good as my best days, nor am I as bad as my worst days. Don’t get too high. Don’t get too low.”

In naming his store, Segal settled on The Outpost, seeing “outposts” as a place of salvation and respite. Moving into his second year, Segal hopes The Outpost serves as just that for its customers.

“We want to continue being dedicated to our local community and intentional and deliberate in what we do,” he says. “If we continue to make good memories, we’ll expand and help more people, and that’s the goal.”