More so than most industries, running specialty is literally run by women – as retailers, brand execs, ambassadors and athletes. Compiling a list of the 25 Women to Watch in 2025 was quite the challenge for Running Insight editors and the following pages feature them and examines their roles in the upcoming year. These remarkable women – and dozens more like them who are running this business – will influence the business of
run specialty and the lives of millions of people in 2025.
Joy Allen-Altimare • Melanie Allen • Kylee Barton • Burke Beck • Courtney Dauwalter
Kathy Dalby • Monica DeVreese • Jenna Gawors • Robin Green • Christina Henderson
Mary Beth Laughton • Andrea Lehmkuhler • Jen McLaren • Tina Muir • Bailey Ness
Cathy Pugsley • Toni Reese • Megan Searfoss • Kiera Smalls • Molly Southern • Susie Stein
The Terra Girls • Dani Tiltgen • Eileen Urtz • Parker Valby • Sarah Weihman
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Joy Allen-Altimare
Saucony
As Saucony’s new chief marketing officer, Allen-Altimare sits at the forefront of Saucony’s mission to enhance its relevance among runners and lifestyle consumers alike. Championing the unifying power of running, Allen-Altimare plans to fortify partnerships with organizations such as the Running Industry Diversity Coalition, Black Girls Run and Black Men Run. She’ll also look to leverage her 25-year career in brand innovation and consumer insights to amplify Saucony’s strengths while simultaneously exploring innovative growth opportunities to help the Wolverine Worldwide-owned brand gain market share in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
CATHY PUGSLEY
=PR= Run & Walk
Fresh off winning 2024 Best Running Store in America honors, Pugsley and her team at =PR= Run & Walk have no plans to slow down. The 10-store, Virginia-based chain Pugsley runs alongside her husband, Ray, is doubling down on grassroots marketing. It’s crafting efforts to heighten connections with the youth/high school market, the medical community, local companies and northern Viginia’s swelling Hispanic population.
TONI REESE
Running Lab
From its 4400-square foot shop in Brighton, MI, Running Lab has emerged a run specialty retail force – and Running Insight cover model Reese, who co-owns the shop with Ken Larscheid, is an enterprising dynamo relentlessly convinced Running Lab can improve. A recent website overhaul, for instance, further boosted Running Lab’s online sales, which are now double the industry average. In 2025, Reese is focused on strengthening the Running Lab team and promises a career-building focus, including two new roles at the shop: a general manager and a staff member focused on medical outreach.
“Our staff are so good, they need more responsibility,” she says.
Courtney Dauwalter
ultrarunning athlete
In ultra circles, Dauwalter is a magnetic cult hero celebrated for her long shorts, infectious smile and undeniable grit, but her star in the broader running world continues to rise, especially as sponsors put the energetic Coloradan front and center. Salomon, which recently extended its partnership with Dauwalter to 2029, has teased 2025 updates to its “Shortney” collection; Suunto released a “Dauwalter-ized” version of its Suunto Race S Titanium late last year; and Dauwaltermelon is now a staple in Tailwind Nutrition’s Endurance Fuel line-up. Dauwalter, meanwhile, has promised to “chase some more crazy in 2025,” a pledge likely to amplify her profile and her sponsors.
TINA MUIR
Running for Real
Since launching the Running for Real Podcast in 2017, Muir has hosted more than 400 episodes, amassed over six million downloads and championed running as a vehicle for social change. Her reach helped her earn a spot on the Running USA Board of Directors and her push to highlight the climate emergency has delivered compel-ling opportunities as well. As sustainability director of the World Athletics Road Running Championships in San Diego this September, she’s looking to replace the traditional fiishers’ medals with an alternative award crafted of local wood and designed by a local artist.
Jen McLaren and Kylee Barton
Altra
With McLaren (president, at top) and Barton (global head of product and merchandising) in place, Altra now has two women at the helm — an intentional move intended to brighten the 14-year-old brand’s rising star. McLaren, who came over from Smartwool in Spring 2023, and Barton, a recent Altra hire after 20 years at Nike, are tasked to strategically appeal to Altra’s core fans while expanding its base. Expect that delicate balance to happen through purposeful updates to core styles, female-first product, expanded low-drop offerings, compelling collaborations and dynamic outreach via events and social media.
Burke Beck
Red Coyote Running and Fitness
Just before the close of 2024, Beck celebrated the opening of Red Coyote’s Norman, OK, location, its third store. Alongside her husband, Jon, she’s now helping steer a strategic reorganization to further empower both Red Coyote’s store teams and executive leadership. Beck’s also refining Red Coyote’s inventory selection, communications, product distribution, marketing and events, including efforts to engage more diverse audiences. Those efforts will be aided by Red Coyote’s place in the Run Collective, a group of running retailers focused on driving the long-term prosperity of independent run speciality, as well as its partnership with the Running Industry Diversity Coalition.
Melanie Allen
Brooks
As Brooks’ chief marketing officer since 2017, Allen has played a prominent role in driving the Seattle-based brand’s global reach over recent years, including last May’s launch of its “Let’s Run There” brand platform.
As footwear rivals aim to knock Brooks off its performance run perch, Allen will need to continue blending the art and science of marketing. She’s known as someone attuned to both data’s role in driving decision making as well as the creative and emotive content Brooks must unleash to connect with customers. Striking that balance will be vital to Brooks’ continued supremacy in the run specialty world.
Kathy Dalby
Pacers Running
The CEO of Pacers Running, the D.C.-based chain of five running stores, Dalby is an energized industry leader. She’s a board member with the Running Industry Diversity Coalition and co-founder of empowerun, the upstart effort to connect female leaders in the running industry. While empowerun’s popular annual retreat took a hiatus in 2024, Dalby says the connections and continued commitment to highlighting women in the industry remain — and she teases “aspirations to reconnect formally.”
“We know these connections are vital,” she says.
Monica DeVreese
rabbit, Santa Barbara Running Company
With DeVreese leading the charge, rabbit is no longer the little apparel brand that could. Expect continued bold moves from rabbit in 2025, particularly as it relates to trail running. There’s a debut trail shoe – the High Country – launching this summer as well as new trail gear and the rabbit Trail Series, which will feature prizes and activations designed to engage and inspire. The California-based brand has also signed on to sponsor both the Leadville Trail Series and the Trail Society podcast.
Beyond trail, rabbit’s releasing a v2 of its Dream Chaser road running shoe this summer, updating its best-selling EZ Capsule with more inclusive fits and sustainable fabrics and returning to the Every Woman’s Marathon to build on last year’s sparkling inaugural event.
And, oh yea, there’s the continued success of her Santa Barbara Running Company retail store.
Jenna Gawors
Confluence Running
Gawors, who co-owns four Confluence Running locations in New York, with her
husband, Matt, will be active in 2025 beyond typical retail activities. Ever the entre-preneur, she’s investigating adding clinical sports psychology counseling to Conflu-ence’s roster of offerings and remodeling an Airbnb site in Lake Placid that Confluence markets to out-of-town racers and shares with local charities. Gawors and her husband are also continuing to sharpen their Dynamic Footwear Specialist Certification, which the couple offers to other independent running stores as well as healthcare providers, personal trainers and others in need of continuing education credits.
ROBIN GREEN
Hoka
Keeping the pace at one of history’s fastest-growing performance footwear and apparel brands is no easy feat, but that’s the task before Green in her first full calendar year as president of Hoka. Innovation is sure to come with Hoka, both from updates to signature models like the Bondi and Clifton as well as new launches like the Mafate X trail shoe. Green, who spent 17 years at Nike before joining Hoka in February 2024, has spoken about staying humble and putting retailers at the center of Hoka’s business strategy.
CHRISTINA HENDERSON
The Running Event/Running Insight
This year promises to be a busy one for Henderson, the seasoned director of The Running Event (TRE). Not only is Henderson tasked to steer Diversified’s new outdoor-oriented show, Switchback Spring in Nashville (June 16-18), but she will also guide TRE’s move down the road to San Antonio in December. As TRE attendance soared to nearly 5000 last year, the familiarity of Austin bred comfort — for Henderson and her crew as well as regular show attendees. San Antonio offers more space and fresh opportunity for discovery to go along with the challenges inherent with any major change.
Mary Beth Laughton
REI C0-Op
In 2022, REI intensified its commitment to running as a result of surging category growth in its stores. The multi-year strategy called for a deeper product assortment, run-oriented training for staff and expanding partnerships to elevate the retailer’s stature in the running world. Driving that momentum will soon fall to Laughton, REI’s new CEO as of March 31.
Though Laughton comes from Nike and previously served as CEO of Athleta, she is no stranger to REI. She previously served on REI’s board of directors, which undoubtedly provided insight into REI’s long-term
potential in performance run.
Andrea Lehmkuhler
Point 2 Running Company
As the president of the Running Industry Association, a role she completed at the close of 2024, Lehmkuhler says she learned the value of clear, consistent communi-cation — something she’s actively bringing to her two Virginia-based stores in 2025. She plans to refresh Point 2’s social media channels with the help of her new com-munity marketing manager and increase Point 2’s presence through initiatives like in-store events and group run programs.
“I aim to articulate our goals and vision clearly while remaining open to feedback and new opportunities for growth,” Lehmkuhler says.
Megan Searfoss
CT Run Co.
At the close of 2024, Searfoss brought uniformity to her four-store, Connecticut-based running store chain, rebranding Ridgefield Running Co. and its sister stores as CT Run Co. Now, Searfoss and her team, who won Best Running Store in America in 2022, are storming ahead in 2025. She touts plans to refine processes and procedures to enhance profitability and efforts to better align CT Run Co.’s online shopping experience with its in-store experience through thoughtful packaging, personalized notes and follow-up communication. CT Run Co. is also launching The Bridgeport Mile, seeking to revitalize racing in that Connecticut city.
Kiera Smalls
Running Industry Diversity Coalition
The RIDC’s first executive director, Smalls is geeked about the organization’s 2025 plans, which include celebrating its fifth anniversary. Smalls says RIDC will strengthen its core programming to advance employment and ownership opportunities in the run specialty marketplace and launch a new program called “Barriers to the Start” to get more people of color experiencing the joy and freedom of outdoor movement.
And after spending the final four months of 2024 recovering from her own surgery, Smalls is also itching to (literally) hit the ground running again and “reconnecting with the sport I love,” she says.
Molly Southern
Big Peach Running Company
In addition to running Big Peach Running Co.’s Kennesaw, GA, store – the highest volume store in the 13-unit Big Peach system – Southern plays an instrumental role in the training of every new store manager and “Peach Partner” — and there’s been a lot of that lately. After helping to onboard new leaders at four Big Peach stores in 2024, Southern will support the opening of two new locations in the first half of 2025 as well.
“She leads more people, serves more guests, oversees more inventory and has more sitting on her shoulders than almost anyone can understand or imagine,” Big Peach owner Mike Cosentino says of Southern.
Bailey Ness
Cooldown
In three years, Ness and her founding partner, Daniel Belk, have propelled Cooldown from a startup apparel brand with a complementary run club in Denver into a national name. Cooldown run clubs – hip and socially centered – will reach 20 cities by mid-2025, Ness says. Meanwhile. Cooldown apparel, currently carried by Nordstrom and a few independent running stores, will continue expanding its product catalog, including introducing a winter line in 2025. A recent partnership with Altra featuring influencer and wellness retreats, photo shoot campaigns and other activations promises to elevate Cooldown’s profile even more.
SUSIE STEIN
Up and Running
A 2024 Store of the Year finalist, Up and Running will celebrate its 20th anniversary this fall. It can be challenging for a mature business to continue recording annual growth, but Stein isn’t backing down from the tough task. She plans to continue meeting customers where they are and making it easier for them to shop with their local
running store by bringing Up and Running on the road to pre-season cross-country gatherings and school parents’ nights as well as hospitals and factories around her Ohio-based stores.
Dani Tiltgen
Fleet Feet
Though a behind-the-scenes player at Fleet Feet, Tiltgen has been integral to where Fleet Feet is and where it hopes to go.
Over her nearly decade-long run as the company’s vice president of human re-sources, Tiltgen’s launched various efforts – a summer internship program designed to increase diversity at the brand and an employee resource group among them – to shape Fleet Feet’s culture and empower its expansion to nearly 100 company-owned stores. As the North Carolina-based enterprise approaches 300 retail locations – a figure it might top this year between franchised and corporate stores – Tiltgen’s continued HR stewardship will be central to Fleet Feet maintaining a community-oriented feel and culture amid rampant growth.
Eileen Urtz
A Runner’s Mind
The general manager of A Runner’s Mind (ARM), which has two locations in Califor-nia’s Bay Area, Urtz is excited about a 2025 in which ARM will celebrate its 15th year and look to build on its 2024 Best Running Store in American finalist nod. “We feel we’ve moved into the established business zone and want to continue showing what makes us special,” says Urtz, who joined ARM in 2016.
Urtz touts plans to advance sustainability projects, including zero-waste races and partnerships with like-minded vendors, as well as an artist night featuring local race photographers.
Sarah Weihman
Paradis Sport
Paradis Sport, which makes performance underwear for women, has been on a steady climb since Weihman, a practicing architect and former Ivy League athlete at Dartmouth, established the company in 2021. In 2025, Paradis appears poised for a breakthrough with its singular focus on addressing the needs of the female athlete, a growing athlete roster and surging brand awareness among consumers and running retailers alike.
The Terra Girls
Terra Running Company
Brittany Katz (left), the owner of Terra Running Company in Cleveland, TN, and Tiffany Skinner, her trusty sidekick, lack neither energy nor ambition. In the first half of 2025 alone, Katz and Skinner will launch the Terra Book Club, begin the sixth season of their Terra Girls podcast, produce Terra’s annual Beer Mile, organize their Summer Sizzler Series and lead Terra’s youth running camp. Toss in new Terra-branded merch and a fresh crop of Terra Running Ambassadors and The Terra Girls more than prove their willingness to push the pace of what a local running shop can be.
Parker Valby
athlete
Valby enjoyed quite a 2024, winning four individual titles at the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships before earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and placing 11th in the 10,000 meters in Paris. Now, the former University of Florida Gator, who had an NIL agreement with Nike, is in the professional ranks and representing New Balance. Expect to see a lot of Valby in 2025, as New Balance will feature the photogenic blonde in various running and lifestyle campaigns
