After a little break to allow the voices of the BIPOC communities to be heard we are back with some more conversations with Run Specialty channel peeps. This week we revisit a conversation with one of the owners of Playmakers in Michigan, John Benedict. John is a great guy and has been around the block in this industry. Hear what he has to say about his personal journey, the history of Playmakers, and how they have weathered the storm of COVID-19.

Week 8 of the Pandemic and we remain at home working through video meeting software while remaining positive and optimistic. Some running stores have started to open though staff must wear masks and there is a limited number of customers allowed in store. Hours of operation have been reduced and it’s not business as usual. The pent-up demand for running product however, and the desire to get outside for a run or walk, means stores are seeing more customers than expected.

That feeling of optimism is very much embodied by this weeks guest. Stephanie Blozy. Steph has seen her fair share of storms both figuratively and literally. She started out as a meteorologist and for the best part of 15 years she was known as Stephanie of Weatherbug. She chased storms and now finds herself amidst a different storm but one just as devastating.

Kevin and I sit down with Steph and listen to her recount her story of how she and her sister Carrie switched careers on a bit of a whim to ultimately become the owners of Fleet Feet West Hartford. They opened in 2008 amid the wall street recession and they made it work. Steph says, if you’re gonna bet on anyone, bet on yourself. And she’s been winning those bets ever since.

So now, in 2020 She and her sister are in the shadow of the epicenter of the COVID-19 breakout in New York City. And as expected they are tackling this crisis head on. Steph tells us what they’re doing to continue to positively impact their community. She shares stories of still providing shoes for the homeless living on the streets and being present to offer advice over zoom and FaceTime in the form of virtual fittings. Its quite the inspirational journey and one I’m sure you will all enjoy.

Peace

Keith and Kevin.

Its been 6 weeks, give or take, since we moved to this alternative reality we find ourselves in today. The running world continues to be rocked by the impact of the pandemic. As we publish EP 3 of the UnBalanced Podcast I’ve read that The Berlin Marathon is officially cancelled. What does this mean for the other fall Marathon Majors taking place before and right after the original September date for Berlin.

The world of specialty run continues to face these challenges head on, ensuring that consumer needs are met as more and more people are opting to pick up their running shoes and kit to head outside for some solitude in the form of a run, hike, or walk.

Many miles north in the great state of Alaska a running specialty store named Skinny Raven is providing the running community with everything they need to ensure they can enjoy this solitude. And this week we catch up with the owner of said store, Daniel Greenhalgh.

Daniel is one of the great people. Someone you meet once but feel like you’ll know for a long time. He has worked at Skinny Raven since 1996 becoming President of the business and finally outright owner in September, 2017.

Kevin and I sit down and talk to Danny about his background and how he went from employee to owner of this great institution. He gives us insight to what makes Skinny Raven what it is and how the Anchorage running scene is different than that of the lower 48. Long winters mean more trail running, and more studs in shoes. Danny talks about the community and how they are rallying around Skinny Raven, and how his staff have supported the closure, not complaining about hours being cut, rather, offering to work for free.

We really enjoy talking to Danny and hopefully you get more insights on how these businesses are dealing with life during Covid-19.

Peace

Keith and Kevin.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has really impacted independently owned businesses throughout the world. The running specialty channel is not immune to economic hardship but this pandemic has presented a whole new set of challenges. On this episode of Unbalanced, Keith and Kevin sit down with Kris Hartner, owner of Naperville Running Company in Naperville IL, to talk about what steps he is taking to ensure his customers are staying on board and his staff are being kept employed and active. We talk about the origins of Naperville Run Co, how it came to be one of the beacons of the running specialty channel, and more importantly how one of the best stores in the country is enduring the same issues as everyone else. How are they adapting to this new norm, What has worked and what isn’t working, And what does the future look like. This is the first of many conversations we will have with specialty owners throughout the country. We want to highlight that as an industry we are all in this together. From elite runners who just found out the Olympics is postponed to the RSA who has been furloughed, the impact on everyone who is involved in running is very significant. And we all need to encourage everyone to stay motivated, positive, and stay at home, isolated from others as much as possible.

Welcome to the first ever Unbalanced podcast, featuring Keith Kelly and Kevin Adams. On this episode we bring in Team New Balance Boston coach, Olympian and all around legend Mark Coogan. We start off talking about his running roots during his Attleboro days before discussing the inception and evolution of the New Balance Boston Team, being part of the NB family and being members of the Boston community. We then go back and discuss Marks running career, representing the University of Maryland, being the first Mass kid to break the 4 minute mile, and his post collegiate breakthrough in Providence before moving out to Boulder for the buildup to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Mark tells us about his second place finish at the 1996 Olympic Marathon trials in Charlotte and his 96 Olympic experience representing the United States in Atlanta. We transition from Marks running career to his coaching and talk about his athletes running at Worlds in Doha and the fifth avenue mile. Mark talks more about coaching his athletes and some of the emotions he feels while they are racing. We wrap up the conversation with a discussion comparing the training methods between Marks competitive days and Marks coaching present and close out with an update on the indoor track construction at the New Balance campus.