A RUNNER’S MIND
San Francisco and Burlingame, CA
arunnersmind.com
Key Personnel: Monte Keleher, Owner; Eileen Urtz, GM; Nick Kovaleski, Director of Operations; Derek Wun, Footwear Buyer; Kay Liberato, Director of Brand Marketing. Store Managers: Elizabeth Ford, Chance Kinney. Assistant Store Managers: Josh Bryant, Clark Chase, Cindy Phan
History: A Runner’s Mind was founded in 2010 in Burlingame and the San Francisco location opened in 2013.
What Makes Your Store Unique: “We approach everything we do from a place of gratitude. We are uniquely positioned to help people along their fitness journey and we don’t take that for granted. Our motto, ‘Movement is Life,’ drives everything we do in our shops, in the community and as stewards of the planet we all run on. From the fit bench to the roads and trails to the zero waste events we produce, we strive to bring a sense of joy and passion to everything we do. And at the end of every day, we stop whatever we’re doing to pause and share our gratitude with each other. We never lose sight of the importance of our work and the opportunities we are given on a daily basis to make positive change in our community.”
What the Award Means to Them: “We are incredibly honored to receive this award, especially since it starts with being nominated by our beloved running community. This award not only validates our hard work over the past year, but inspires us to work harder and show up in new and better ways for our community. To be judged on such high standards and against so many exceptional stores across the country motivates us to be our best selves. Being honored in this way means the world to us and we are so grateful for the recognition.”
Plans for 2025: “We turn 15 in 2025 and we are so excited to find new ways to engage and celebrate with our incredible community throughout the year. We want to continue to build partnerships with local artists to feature their work and champion the voice of our local creative community. In addition, we want to continue to find ways to lower our impact as a store while offering resources and support for more stores to join the effort, as well as fostering circularity in the industry to reduce and reuse as much as possible. And as always, we want to run and share laughs and friendship with the community we’ve built.”
FLEET FEET FAYETTEVILLE
Fayetteville, NC
fleetfeet.com/s/fayettevillenc
Key Personnel: Neli Manova, Operating Partner; Cynde Sobczak, Retail Experience Manager and Inventory Extraordinaire; April Cobb, Community Outreach Coordinator
History: Fleet Feet Fayetteville opened its doors in 2017 and has been successfully running a single location ever since. It is the preferred destination for all running/walking/active lifestyle needs of its community and surrounding areas.
What Makes Your Store Unique: “We are located in the heart of one of the largest military installations, Fort Liberty, and we are dedicated to serving our military community and our veterans.”
What the Award Means to Them: “This is an incredible honor and we are so humble and blessed to have been chosen as a one of the Best Running Stores in America. This is definitely a dream come true for us and we are incredibly grateful to our supportive community and our wonderful team of kindhearted and dedicated professionals.”
Plans for 2025: “We will continue our work in the community and help as many people as we possibly can. For us, community is everything and we cherish all the incredible people who have come with us on our journey of making the world a better place, one step at a time.”
UP AND RUNNING
Dayton, OH; Troy, OH
upandrunningindayton.com
Key Personnel: Susie Stein, Owner; Nickie Luse, GM
History: Founded in 2005, Up and Running was born from the simple, powerful vision of owner Susie Stein that “Anyone can be a runner.” Its mission is to provide a place for everyone – every pace, every ability – to enhance their lives through running and walking.
What Makes Your Store Unique: “We tie your shoes perfectly and we know your name. In a world where transactions are fast and furious, we slow down and remember it’s more than just a shoe, it’s a journey that often starts at our fit bench.”
What the Award Means to Them: “It reinforces that our daily hard work is appreciated by our community, our customers and our industry. We strive to make a difference every day and when noticed and appreciated it truly does keep you motivated to continue on.”
Plans for 2025: “We plan to continue doing what we do best — being a driving force in our community for health and fitness and comfort. We plan to continue growing our mobile fits, meeting folks in their daily life so everyone can enjoy comfort.” n
