The second time turned out to be a charm for the Running Lab. After being named a finalist for Store of the Year in 2023, the well-respected run specialty retailer returned to The Running Event (TRE) this month with high hopes their second turn as a finalist would deliver a different result.
It did.
The Brighton, MI-based run specialty shop helmed by Ken Larschied and Toni Reese earned 2025 Store of the Year honors at TRE’s Industry Awards Dinner on Thursday, December 4, in San Antonio. The 14-year-old operation emerged from a capable and accomplished group of five finalists that included Good Times Running Company, Sole Sports Running Zone, Fleet Feet Charleston and Point 2 Running Company.
The entire 24-member Running Lab team was in attendance to celebrate the announcement, enabled by a two-day shutdown of the shop and store-funded plane tickets allowing every staff member to hear the news firsthand.
“We won’t have a Christmas party this year, but everyone’s okay with that,” Larscheid says.
Running Lab’s 2025 Store of the Year honor follows years of entrepreneurial risk taking, strategic bets and calculated investment in staff training and processes to ensure high-end customer service and seamless operations.
A former New Balance rep, Larscheid opened Running Lab after years of sharpening his thoughts on customer service and crafting a business plan. He then secured the support of his new bride, Carrie, and a cozy retail space in downtown Brighton to launch Running Lab in 2011.
“I saw the vision right away of what Running Lab could be,” Larscheid says. “I just knew if we could rely on my values of what I wanted this business to be and what I wanted customer service to look like in run specialty, then we could build something special.”
From the jump, Larscheid leaned into a thorough fitting process incorporating good form running into the equation, which remains core to Running Lab’s DNA. He and his early team members – one full-time and one part-time employee – also focused on ultra-personalized service bolstered by touches of Midwestern nice. In fact, nearly 15 years later, Larscheid not only recalls his first sale – a Mizuno Wave Rider – but even the customer’s name — a local triathlete named Bruce who continues to frequent the store.
Turning Points
After establishing roots in Brighton, Running Lab’s momentum accelerated in 2015 when Reese joined the team. The outgoing, energetic Reese immediately embraced the store’s mission and ethos. Even more, she leveraged years of training and development in the foodservice arena to fortify Running Lab’s operations and propel its growth.
“While my strong point was really buying behind the scenes, marketing and some other big-picture ideas, Toni focused on culture and staff more than I ever did,” Larscheid says of Reese, who after years of serving as Running Lab manager recently became the store’s official co-owner after completing a multi-year buy-in agreement.
Powered by year-upon-year revenue growth, Larscheid steered Running Lab’s move into a new 4400-square-foot home in Brighton in 2021. In nearly doubling its footprint, Running Lab enjoyed added space to accommodate its swelling product assortment, improve merchandising and host larger group events. The new building also featured a dedicated area for shipping and receiving.
“The move was our moment where we knew this was going to kick into a different gear,” Larscheid says.
Indeed, Running Lab picked up its pace as it settled into its new home.
In 2022, the store became the official merchandise retailer for the Detroit Free Press Marathon, a position elevating Running Lab’s visibility across the region and allowing it to showcase its service in a different way. Still today, the store handles everything from designing official race swag to processing and shipping online orders for official event gear.
Late last year, meanwhile, Running Lab moved its e-commerce business over to Shopify, which opened existing bottlenecks and enabled Running Lab to enhance the digital experience for its customers with a more streamlined, user friendly and polished process. Today, about 30 percent of the company’s total revenue derives from e-commerce, well beyond the industry’s single-digit average.
“We wanted our customer experience online to better match what it was in the retail store,” Larscheid says.
A Consistent Climb
Since its 2011 opening, Running Lab has yet to record a down year, according to Larscheid. He attributes that ever-ascending 14-year run to a diversified business including the brick-and-mortar retail shop, e-commerce and other revenue-driving endeavors, such as off-site medical events.
“We’ve always pushed growth, which has come from different spots over the years as we’ve fostered and dedicated more resources to specific areas of the business,” he says.
Reese, however, calls Running Lab’s staff the biggest differentiator of all. The store features about two dozen employees, one-third of whom are full-time staff members receiving benefits.
“It’s really important for us to have that familiar face working on the sales floor with reliable hours, so full-time is very valuable to us in our store,” Reese says.
Full-time staff, she continues, helps cultivate intentionality, particularly as Running Lab team members genuinely care about their work and the store’s success.
“Whether it’s on the sales floor with a medical referral or our buyer being fiscally responsible or our shipping team paying extra attention to what the customer receives in the mail, everybody minds the details,” Reese says. “In every aspect of our business, we look at who we’re serving and how we can do that to the best of our ability. We’re never interested in just checking a box.”
For Larscheid, consistency in purpose, operations and attitude matters and he has little interest in chasing new goals if it comes at the expense of reliable execution.
“When we do something, we want it to be to the level we would be proud of,” he says. “If we can’t execute, then we won’t take it on.”
Charging Ahead Into 2026
As for what’s next at Running Lab, Larscheid and Reese say that’s a constant point of discussion.
“The conversation usually starts with Ken saying, ‘What do you think about this?’ followed by an evil laugh,” Reese jokes.
But the comedy always gives way to candid conversation and careful analysis.
“And if a specific initiative is something we feel comfortable with and we know our team is ready for it, we’ll tackle it and take it on,” Reese says.
Growth, Reese reminds, does not have to come from additional storefronts. It can also come from optimizing an existing process or investing in staff. Over the years, Running Lab leadership has focused on evaluating the possibilities and then executing on the appropriate initiatives. Such diligence has fueled its success and Larscheid intends to stick to that formula – with Reese making sure of it.
“There are lots of opportunity out there, but what’s right for us?” Larscheid says.
Perhaps the future can wait a pinch, though. Larscheid, Reese and their team deserve to take a well-earned victory lap.
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RUNNING LAB | Brighton, MI | runninglabstore.com
Key Personnel: Ken Larscheid, Founder/Co-Owner; Toni Reese, Co-Owner; Aleighsha Nichols, General Manager; Keith McCaffery, Floor Manager; Meghan Zoll, Marketing Manager; Blake Strand, Buyer; Jacob Sapienza, Off-Site Event Coordinator. Shipping Managers: Jen Cructhfield, Sidney Jonckheere, Meagan Houhanisin
History: Running Lab was founded in July 2011 by Ken Larscheid, whose vision was to create a run specialty store that would promote the active lifestyle in the downtown Brighton community. The mission includes expert fit specialists passionately driven to provide the best recommendations and solutions for every customer that walks into the store, while leveraging technology to help support the best-in-class service being provided. Over the past 14 years, the business grew into a healthy run specialty store, relocated to a larger space, acquired a warehouse and became the retail partner of the Detroit Free Press Marathon.
In Their Words: “Our people make all the difference. To be the best running store, you need to have the best people — and our people are our uniqueness. Each team member brings different talents, accomplishments and strengths that make us stronger together. They are the heart and soul behind our loyal customer base, our 5-star Google rating and the driving force behind Team Running Lab’s strides. This team rises to the top when it comes to overcoming challenges, and that spirit is what truly sets us apart.”
What the Award Means to Them: “It means everything. Knowing our hard work is being celebrated throughout the industry is both incredible and overwhelming. As a one-door running shop, being recognized as one of the best running stores in the country is truly special. This recognition from our customers means the world to us. It shows how much they value our commitment to high standards, exceptional products and genuine service. Most of all, this award is a massive team celebration — a family milestone we’ve achieved together. Knowing we did this as one team is the icing on the cake…or the double knot in the shoelace!”
2026 Plans: “In 2026, we’re not focused on creating new things —we want to get even better at what we already do. We often look at something we’ve built and think, ‘We’ve done awesome, where can we take this next?’ We plan to invest in our team members’ growth, helping their careers flourish as Running Lab grows. We want to make an even bigger impact on the wellbeing of our community by expanding programs for kids and women, supporting runners chasing new personal records with Team Running Lab, and partnering with nonprofits making a difference for our neighbors and loved ones. When Running Lab grows and succeeds, so does our community.”
