Run specialty shops’ summer sprint has continued with hordes of activities to engage communities, capture the youth running demographic, promote fitness and contribute to local causes.
Sin City residents run, walk and hike to $10,000 prize
Enduring the Las Vegas heat on a morning run earlier this year, Red Rock Running Company owner Mark Jimenez began contemplating ways to boost July sales, historically one of the slower months at his four-store operation.
“It’s hot here,” Jimenez says of the Las Vegas summer, which often sends people hustling for air conditioning — not the roads or the trails.
Considering different ways to encourage people to stay active during the summer, Jimenez cooked up a wild idea: a two-month challenge in which registered local participants earned a chance at weekly prizes and one $10,000 grand prize for every run, walk or hike they logged on Strava throughout July and August.
“It’s simple: move consistently, tag your activities, support local vendors and get rewarded,” Red Rock posted with the competition announcement. “You don’t have to be fast – you just have to show up.”
Jimenez worked with local and national vendors to assemble the prizes, writing proposals and soliciting donations to fund the $10,000 grand prize and other awards. Beyond logging their activities on Strava, participants could earn additional digital tickets by participating in Red Rock events, posting to social media with the challenge hashtags, making in-store purchases and winning mini-contests throughout the summer.
The ambitious idea spurred tangible results. Jimenez saw systemwide sales rise about 12 percent during the first month of the challenge while Red Rock’s social media engagement went “through the roof.”
“We are reaching a younger audience,” Jimenez says. “Gen Z has been a tough one for us and this has really helped with that.”
More anniversaries to celebrate
The summer issue of Running Insight featured nearly 50 running stores, brands and industry allies celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2025. A few, however, slipped through the cracks and warrant some shine here.
Down in Shreveport, LA, Sportspectrum hit its 45th birthday while Portland, OR-based Foot Traffic is ringing the 25th birthday bell this year. More on both of those running retailers below.
In Louisville, Ken Combs Running Store has a birthday on the horizon. November will mark 45 years for the business founded by Ken and Sylvia Combs in 1980. Current owner Matt Muller attributes Ken Combs’ ongoing success to an unrelenting customer-centric mindset.
Over in Oklahoma, OK Runner (in photo above) will celebrate its 30th birthday next month, a milestone co-owner Tim Thompson attributes to constant evolution. “I cannot turn into that old grumpy store owner who never wants to change,” Thompson jokes.
OK Runner has two shops – one in Norman, OK, and another in Oklahoma City – and has operated a successful event timing business since 1998. An assortment of Thompsons keeps the business chugging along, including Tim Thompson’s father, Gus, and brother, Craig, a certified pedorthist who specializes in sports orthotics.
“Our goal is for our Norman location to be around for another 20 years. I will be 76, my brother 75 and my father 100 years old. What a way to celebrate,” says Thompson, who recently shocked staff when he decided to ink himself with the OK Runner logo.
‘Pace Yourself’ and check in for prizes
At its three North Carolina locations, Pace Yourself Running Co. loves giving its customers a pinch of motivation to keep showing up and pursuing their fitness goals. PYRC’s tiered reward system for run club check-ins is a perfect example of the retailer’s well-intentioned nudge.
With 10 check-ins, participants receive a T-shirt. On the 25th check-in, they earn a stainless steel pint glass. Hit 50 check-ins and PYRC hands out a personalized insulated cup. Things get especially lofty on the 100th check-in when PYRC memorializes those dedicated souls with a personalized bib on the in-store “Ring of Honor” wall.
Atlanta area high schoolers get striding
Down in Atlanta, West Stride devoted its summer to helping local high school harriers prepare for the upcoming cross-country season while breaking the monotony of training. West Stride’s Summer Striding program combined multiple group runs with some post-run snacks, demo footwear and opportunities to connect with other area student-athletes.
The June 19 Kickoff Run, for instance, invited runners to wear bright, bold colors and neon to light up the Powers Island trails. Post-run, West Stride served up neon-colored Gatorade, Chick-fil-A Chicken Minis and Clif Bloks.
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Strike on Friday, early sale access on Saturday
On Friday, July 25, California-based A Snail’s Pace hosted “a gritty, unsanctioned race through the streets of Orange County.” Billed as “The Wildest Race of the Summer,” Shadow Strike eschewed a set course. Instead, runners determined their own path to hitting four local checkpoints en route to the finish line.
Sportspectrum’s back-to-school philanthropy
As the back-to-school season approached in Shreveport, LA, Sportspectrum donated 235 pairs of shoes to local K-8 students on July 26 as part of Maggie Lee’s Annual Khaki Fair, an event honoring the memory of 12-year-old Maggie Lee Henson.
In addition to the July 26 event, Sportspectrum is also earmarking a portion of proceeds from all footwear sales July 14-August 31 to Maggie Lee’s Annual Khaki Fair, thereby multiplying its impact.
“While we could have just donated the shoes without making a ‘campaign’ out of it, we wanted to invite our customers into supporting these causes with us and knowing that buying locally helps pay it forward,” Sportspectrum owner Andrew Gaspard says. “It’s important for us to always be looking for ways to give back because we want to use our resources, platforms, etc. to make our community better and show people they are loved, valued and worthy.”
Well wishes to Fleet Feet Montclair
Here’s hoping New Jersey-based Fleet Feet Montclair is soon back on its feet following a July 29 fire. While responders quickly contained the fire at a neighboring business and no one was hurt, the Fleet Feet store sustained smoke damage and inventory loss. While working through insurance, cleanup and restoration, the 38-year-old business run by the Fabbro family temporarily closed its doors. As of this week, the store had not reopened.
Immediately following the fire, store leadership took a resilient stance on social media with a post reading: “The comeback is always stronger than the setback.”
As the run specialty world turns
In Oak Park, IL, female-first boutique Lively Athletics has a new owner in Christina McKittrick (in photo above). The Oak Park native and local high school teacher recently acquired Lively from sisters Anne Pezalla and Kate Marlin, who opened the retail store in 2013.
“I love the idea of getting to be a part of such an amazing business and work family,” McKittrick told Lively fans on social media. “I look forward to getting to know all of you and to watch Lively continue to grow and thrive!”
• Some established independent run specialty stores added new locations recently. Columbus Running Company opened a shop in Delaware, OH, its sixth location in central Ohio.
• In the Pacific Northwest, Foot Traffic celebrated the grand opening of its store in northwest Portland on July 26 with a “shoelace cutting ceremony.” The new shop gives the 25-year-old business five stores between Portland, OR, and Vancouver, WA.
• With a steady stream of new store openings, Fleet Feet, Fit2Run and Big Peach Running Co. are becoming familiar names in this section of “The Running Spirit” column. Under the direction of Aisha Wallace-Wyche, Big Peach launched a store in Smyrna, GA – its ninth franchised location and 14th overall – while Fit2Run now has 43 locations following the addition of stores in Clearwater, FL, and St. Pete, FL.
Fleet Feet’s much-publicized march toward 400 stores continued as well. In the Lone Star State, veteran franchisee Mark King debuted Fleet Feet Leander, his third franchised location, while Fleet Feet Northern New Jersey opened a new shop in Somerville, NJ, and Fleet Feet Panama City began welcoming customers in late July.
Have a compelling event, project or initiative to propose for a future Running Spirit column? Contact Running Insight senior writer Danny Smith at [email protected] with details. You can also follow Danny on Instagram @runspecialtyinsider.
