Our running store staff knows running. From pure runners to all around outdoor enthusiasts, everyone’s running journey is a little different.
We currently require masks on both our staff and customers. We are taking precautions to maintain social distance when possible and are wiping down surfaces and merchandise between fittings.
Owner, Multi-Sport Athlete, Certified Shoe Guru, USATF Level 1 Coach
Hometown: Born on Long Island, New York, spent most of my childhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains in a little “holler” in Page County. Staunton since 2001.
Favorite Place to Run: My neighborhood and surrounding streets, I love running for the convenience.
Favorite Running Shoe: Altra Torin
Favorite Cross Training Activities: Bicycling and Swimming
Running Bio: Though I’ve always been active, I never considered myself to be an athlete, much less a runner. That changed when I took up running in my early thirties. It was supposed to be just for fitness and fun but then a co-worker convinced me to sign up for the Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler. My mother had breast cancer the previous year and had recently finished her treatments at UVA’s Breast Care Center, giving me a personal connection to the cause and a reason to train for it. It was then that I discovered the gratification in putting a goal on the calendar, working toward that goal and then achieving that goal. That race led to more races, reaching for higher goals, such as 10ks and then on to half marathons. Life then took another turn in my late thirties and I gravitated toward cycling which I found I naturally performed better at. Today, I do a little of both plus mix it up with some swimming and strength training. So, there you have it, an athlete! I often say running was my gateway drug to fitness when really, it was my gateway to becoming an athlete. And not only that, but it was also a gateway to giving me confidence to achieve things that I thought were out of my reach, like in 2016 when I reached for becoming a running store owner.
Co-Owner, 2x Boston Marathon finisher, RRCA Certified Coach
Hometown: Shenandoah Valley native, Staunton since 2001.
Favorite Running Distance: Five miles as my day-to-day distance. It’s a good way to start the morning before going to work.
Favorite Running Shoe(s): Currently, Saucony’s Endorphin series.
Favorite Post-Run Beverage: After a long run on a summer evening, it’s hard to beat an IPA.
Favorite Marathon(s): New York City Marathon was a blast, seeing the city from that perspective is incredible and the Big Sur Marathon running along California’s scenic Highway 1.
Running Bio: I picked up running at age 31, I have always been active but had just quit smoking after seventeen years. Running showed me just how out of shape I was and gave me the extra motivation to never pick up smoking again.
Sole Focus Fit Specialist & Event Planner, Marathoner, Ultra Runner
Hometown: Staunton
Favorite running distance: Half marathon or anything longer than a marathon. Recently fell in love with ultra-running.
Favorite Running Shoe: Do I really have to pick JUST ONE? The TOPO Mountain Racer has been working nicely on the trails. Long road runs I’ve been a long-time fan of the Saucony Ride and now the Saucony Endorphin Speed. Saucony Freedom for tempo and track runs.
Favorite Places to Run: I enjoy running in downtown Staunton with friends, but my true love is running the amazing network of trails in the George Washington National Forest.
Favorite Pre-Race Meal: Pasta, pasta and more pasta! I also enjoy a really good PB&J or oatmeal on race morning.
Favorite Races: Richmond Marathon and Half Marathon. The 2017 Richmond Marathon was my first full marathon. I finished in just over four hours and Bart Yasso of Runner’s World himself congratulated me at the finish line! The half I ran a few years later, setting a PR.
Running Bio: I started running when my son was almost a year old. I had recently lost a lot of weight doing at home workouts and it gave me the confidence I needed to try running. I had never run a mile before, and one morning I woke up and literally decided “I’m going for a run!” I strapped my son in his stroller and hit the Gypsy Hill Park loop. I made it around one loop (1.3 miles) without stopping, and that’s all she wrote! I’ve been running ever since!
Our team of trained fit specialists are not here though to sell you on any single brand of shoe but to find the right shoe for you!
