At Athletic Annex in metro Indianapolis, Midweek Miles are a calendar staple, a regular opportunity for local runners to gather at one of the company’s three retail stores and knock out miles alongside fellow Hoosiers. Once in a while, though, Athletic Annex co-owner Gareth Wilford and his team like to jazz things up, even get a little wacky.

Like this past July 16, when Athletic Annex celebrated National Hot Dog Day at its Carmel, IN, store. The Glizzy Gallop (“glizzy” is Gen Z slang for a hot dog) featured a group run, demo shoes from Asics, hot dog costumes, an absurd amount of frankfurter-themed decorations, a pseudo-gas station weenie roller, a full hot dog bar with all the trimmings and red T-shirts emblazoned with the Glizzy Gallop name and an animated hot dog in a bun. 

And if all of that wasn’t enough, Athletic Annex also scored a guest appearance from the globe’s most renowned gobbler of red hots: Indianapolis area resident Joey Chestnut.

“Having Joey here took things to another level,” says Wilford, who landed Chestnut as a distinguished guest after tagging him on social media posts and extending a direct invite via email. 

About 130 participants showed up to the Wednesday evening event and many stayed until the store’s 8 p.m. close, Wilford reports. The event’s energy began much earlier, though, as Athletic Annex created urgency by promising the event’s first 100 registrants a free gift. 

“If you think about your running store as a brand trying to reach a broader population, then events like the Glizzy Gallop are a bridge to the public, a gateway to connect with people who don’t identify as runners or are even intimidated by a running store,” Wilford says. 

Athletic Annex isn’t alone in adding a little (or a lot of) quirkiness to its typical group runs. 

Fun Runs Are Fun

Across the country, run specialty shops host special events tapping into food, culture, history, pop culture and more to break through the noise, generate attention and foster connections with customers and their community. 

• On March 14 over recent years, Fleet Feet Fort Wayne (IN) has hosted its Pi Run, pairing a 3.14-mile jaunt with Pi trivia, pizza pie and fruit pie. 

• Down in Atlanta, West Stride has enjoyed its May the 4th Be with You: Star Wars Stride. The May 4 event features goodies like Star Wars Cake, Light Saber pretzel rods, Ewokamole, Trooper Scoopers, Hans Rolos and Jedi Juice.

• Over in Rhode Island, Run Newport’s now-annual Prom Run sees runners donning old prom dresses, tuxedo tops and the like storm the town’s waterfront gazebo – albeit respectfully – as local teens pose for their pre-prom photos.

• On July 17, Fleet Feet Athens (GA) hosted its first-ever art crawl run/walk. About 100 participants visited five different local galleries to view different art mediums and meet the artists. At every studio, participants also received a playing card; the night’s best five-card poker hand then won a prize. 

“Everybody was so excited to see these different galleries and run new streets,” says Catherine Shinholser, the events guru at Fleet Feet Athens.

• Philadelphia Runner’s University City store similarly paired art and running together when it teamed up with Mural Miles to host a special five-mile run through the University City and West Philadelphia neighborhoods. About 140 runners trotted along, stopping to learn about six notable murals along the route.

• In Mystic, CT, Kelley’s Pace organized the inaugural Mystic Pizza Run on Sunday, June 22. The running store asked five local pizza shops to participate in the event, which sold out of its 64 slots in less than 48 hours. Participants started at Kelley’s Pace, ran to each pizzeria, ate a slice and moved onto the next, totaling about five miles along the route. 

With the event’s $10 entry fee, Kelley’s Pace owner Jeff Anderson intended to pay for the pizza at each stop. However, every pizzeria ended up covering the pies themselves when they discovered Kelley’s Pace was donating all event proceeds to local causes. Anderson returned the favor by allowing each of the five pizzerias to pick one employee to visit the store for a personalized fitting and free pair of shoes.

“I don’t remember another event we’ve put on generating so much goodwill between businesses and the runners,” Anderson says. “What was to be a one-time event now looks like it will become an annual event for us.