News and events from the world of run specialty retail.

Summer tends to bring a quicker pace to run specialty stores – and recent months were no exception. Across the continent, the race calendar filled up, added daylight fed more programming and nicer weather stimulated more group runs and outdoor events. At the same time, fall marathon training accelerated, excitement for the fall cross country campaign intensified and compelling footwear debuts stirred fresh marketing energy for stores. 

Running Insight senior writer Danny Smith highlights some spirited acts, accomplishments and noteworthy news from the nation’s run specialty retailers.

Empowering young female runners and those who coach them
Spurred by a grant from On Running, the Lincoln Running Company in Nebraska’s capital city hosted Wildwood Hometown: A Workshop for Girls in Running on July 16-17. The two-day event for coaches and athletes featured an accomplished group of speakers providing tools to support the performance of female athletes, from nutrition to team building to mental health.

Lincoln Running Company manager Ann Ringlein attended a Wildwood event in Portland years prior and came away inspired. She championed the organization’s mission – to guide, empower, connect and educate young female athletes and the coaches who impact them – to many she encountered. When the opportunity came to bring Wildwood’s programming to Lincoln, Ringlein responded in earnest. Lincoln Running Company was one of five “hometown” sites Wildwood selected in 2026, joining Spokane, WA, Athens, OH, Helena, MT, and Moorpark, CA.

“I could not believe that we could bring this to Lincoln, NE, and my motivation was high to get every coach and young female athlete here,” Ringlein tells Running Insight. “Having so many coaches come up and ask me to please host this again and so many young girls come up and show me their note pads and all the notes they had taken proved that this needed to happen.”

An important reminder at Fleet Feet Tuscaloosa
At Fleet Feet Tuscaloosa, a vinyl print hanging above the doors leading from the stockroom to the sales floor relays a message all run shop staff would be wise to remember: “This may be your tenth fit of the day, but it’s your customer’s first.”

After hearing Fleet Feet CEO Joey Pointer share those words at the Fleet Feet Conference in May, Fleet Feet Tuscaloosa owner Henry Carpenter wrote it down and immediately ordered vinyl prints for his store. The message is now displayed above the stockroom doors as well as in the store’s office and even on shoe shelves. “We intentionally placed it where our team would see it every single day, not because it’s catchy, but because it reinforces the culture we’re trying to build,” Fleet Feet Tuscaloosa marketing director Madison Sanschagrin says. 

In a run specialty shop, Sanschagrin reminds, repetition can become routine. However, it’s important staff remember every fit stool exchange is its own unique experience. 

“Every interaction is an opportunity to make someone feel seen, understood and valued,” Sanschagrin says.

Movement, sustainability and one shared outdoor space
Wanting to create a “third space” at his one-year-old running shop in Hudson, NY, Kevin Meehan teamed with hylo athletics and Silver Botanic to create a garden behind Neighbor Running. The cozy garden features a mix of hylo-utilized materials (corn, castor bean, sugarcane and rubber among them) as well as medicinal plants specifically chosen to support athlete recovery, endurance and balance, including goji berry, mint, lemon balm, chia and chamomile.

The thoughtfully designed outdoor space is open during business owners and also hosts community gatherings every Friday night, from demo runs to bocce ball to adult beverages. 

“Neighbors have even come by to cut back some leaves and harvest some herbs,” Meehan says.

Peepin’ on footwear at the College World Series
I must admit: I enjoyed this simple video Fleet Feet Omaha produced as the College World Series invaded their Nebraskan hometown in mid-June. The 30-second clip features snippets of running shoes seen in and around Charles Schwab Field, from the Brooks Ghost 17 to the Salomon Aero Glide GRVL 4 to the Mount to Coast R1.

Like many shoe geeks, I can’t help but have my eyes peeled down at footwear as I go about my own life, whether it’s walking around town, traveling the aisle of the grocery store or, most certainly, when I’m at a road or trail race. It’s an interesting look into what’s resonating in the marketplace. Fleet Feet Omaha shows I’m not alone in my curiosity.

Runnin’ Gear switches ‘gears’
With smoke from Canadian wildfires wafting over southeastern Michigan and hampering air quality, Runnin’ Gear in Waterford Township, MI, cancelled its regular group run on July 16. In itself, that’s nothing out of the ordinary. Run shops are occasionally forced to cancel group runs for myriad reasons, from thunderstorms to tornadoes to out-of-the-ordinary traffic. It’s what Runnin’ Gear did next that was so unusual.

In lieu of its group run, Runnin’ Gear owner Antonio Romano hosted a pizza party at the shop and invited anyone to “come hang out, catch up with your running friends and enjoy an evening together.”

“At Runnin’ Gear, you’re more than just a run club,” Romano said in an Instagram post announcing the altered plans. “You’re our community. You’re our people. Whether we’re logging miles together or simply sharing a meal and some laughs, it’s the relationships we’ve built that matter most.”

Getting creative with store-branded gear
Philadelphia Runner has a long history of creating store-branded gear and it returned to that well this summer by celebrating two newsworthy events: America’s 250th birthday and the World Cup.

To honor America’s semiquincentennial and Philly’s prominent role in the nation’s illustrious history, including hosting the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia Runner’s Pursuit tee featured the words of the treasured national document woven into the store’s logo.

And as World Cup fever descended upon the City of Brotherly Love, which hosted six contests in the global competition, Philadelphia Runner produced a Runner Around the World tee. The limited-edition tee featured the word “runner” in the official language of every country that qualified for the tournament – all under the Philadelphia Runner logo, of course.

“Each design connects these major cultural and sporting moments back to Philadelphia Runner and the community that makes this one of the best cities in the world,” Philadelphia Runner chief marketing officer Liz Pagonis says.

Now, let’s see what the shop creates next now that basketball legend LeBron James has joined the hometown 76ers. 

A demo shoe event done differently
In conjunction with its 11th birthday, Run Newport hosted its second annual Demopalooza on June 20. In addition to demo opportunities with the latest models from 10 brands and support from additional vendors, the three-hour event in Newport, RI, also included live music, temporary tattoos, stenciling and unconventional prizes, from the most shoes demoed to a rock-paper-scissor contest to the quickest pit stop (as in changing demo shoes, not hitting the washroom). With parking at a premium near the shop, Run Newport even did a raffle for anyone who parked at a lot near the local bike path and ran the mile distance to the store.

A running store owner plays wedding officiant
Small business owners wear many, many hats. Chris Bentvelzen, the owner of Shoes-n-Feet in Bellevue, WA, sported a different and totally unexpected one on June 30 when he officiated the marriage of his staff member, Pete, to his bride Eva – and while Eva was at the hospital in labor, no less. 

“Today was a totally new hat and a relationship that will carry on,” Bentvelzen wrote on the shop’s Instagram page announcing the nuptials.

Happy (belated) Birthday! 
On July 30, Running Insight published its fourth annual anniversary issue. The 47-page feature celebrated milestone anniversaries of 80 different brands, run specialty shops and industry players. But there’s a few we missed and they deserve a shoutout – and a sincere apology for slipping through the cracks.

This year marks 110 years of footwear innovation at Karhu, the Finnish company whose footwear was worn by running icon Paavo Nurmi way back in the 1920s. Karhu’s accomplishments include engineering the world’s first shoe built specifically for daily road training (the Trampas) in the 1960s, developing the first air-cushioned midsole in 1970 and creating the patented Fulcrum footwear technology to redirect vertical impact into forward momentum. 

Meanwhile, SPIbelt (in photo above) has now been helping runners comfortably stash essentials on a run for 20 years. Personal trainer Kim Overton built the product out of necessity in 2006. Frustrated by carrying her keys in her sports bra, she developed a sleek, expandable, bounce-free waist belt for runners and officially launched the product at the 2007 Austin Marathon. The Austin-based company now sells its flagship product in more than 40 countries and is a staple accessory in hundreds of run specialty stores. Its innovative spirit continues to shine, too, with the recent debut of SPIbelt by You. The new program allows customers to custom-build their own SPIbelt by mixing and matching the pocket, belt and zipper color.  

And shoutout to Karnan Associates, which also hit the 20-year mark in 2026. Founded by Parker Karnan and now run by Maggie Butterfield and David Durkin, the consultancy has helped hundreds of run specialty retailers across the U.S. strengthen operations and business performance by offering support with employee development, marketing, inventory management, strategic planning and more.

“What I love more than anything is to hear somebody share a stat or quote something that came from us. It’s proof we’re delivering relevant information to run specialty,” says Karnan, who sold the business to Butterfield and Durkin last year.

New stores and more
This summer, a number of established run specialty shops expanded their operations with new retail locations.

Extra Mile Fitness Company (in photo above) has opened a second shop in northwest Indiana. The new shop in Crown Point complements Extra Mile’s OG location in Valparaiso. Out in Colorado, the Runners Roost reached 10 total locations with the introduction of a shop in Golden, CO.

On July 11, Naperville Running Company, a two-time Store of the Year award honoree, opened its fourth store in Chicago’s western suburbs with a new location in Downers Grove, IL. Congrats to Kris Hartner and his NRC team.

And earlier this month, Marathon Sports welcomed customers into its newest retail shop in North Conway, NH. The 51-year-old business now boasts 30 stores spread across six New England states.

Over in Louisville, KY, Swags moved its south Louisville store three miles north to a space on Woodlawn Ave. The shop, one of three in the Swags system, celebrated its grand opening event on August 8.

Finally, two well-established run shops recently changed ownership hands. David and Jessica Anderson are the new owners of Colonial Sports in Williamsburg, VA. The Andersons take the reins from Jim and Geri Elder, who operated the store for the previous 32 years. Meanwhile, Mitch Kicher, Bobby Wuttke and Jimmy Wuttke are the new owners of Croton Running Company in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. That trio assumes ownership from Ellen Brecher, who founded the run specialty shop in 2020. 

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.