 The
Running Room is an Alberta company, which originated in 1984 out of founder
John Stanton's wish to purchase quality running shoes from someone knowledgeable
about the sport. John, who began running in 1981, found the quality of
service in large sporting goods stores was very poor and the staff - usually
on a commission basis - were anxious to sell the most expensive rather
than the most appropriate shoe to customers.
This entrepreneurial Albertan decided to fill this
niche in the marketplace by opening a small one room store in the renovated
living room of an old house in Edmonton, hence the name, "Running
Room." The concept was highly successful and has since expanded to
over 90 locations across Canada and the United States of America.
The Running Room reputation
has been built upon product innovation, quality and the knowledge of our
sport.Through the input of our customers and the staff, our products have
been tested and proven as products of choice. The Running Room's unique
private label products have been developed to provide customers with the
best in style, functionality, fabric innovations and reasonable price.
Service is an essential component of the company
philosophy and is what keeps it competitive. All staff are considered
Team Members and all are runners. Who else but a runner is knowledgeable
about the needs of runners, as well as the products that cater to those
needs? The Running Room philosophy is
that if you're out there running on the same roads as
the customers, you can relate
to their exact needs. The Running Room is truly a store for runners by
runners.
The Running Room also offers more than the
best selection of top brand name running shoes and apparel. You will find
an incredible number of services that offer clinics such as Walking, Learn
to Run, Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K Training, Personal Best, and For
Women Only Running Clinics. The tremendous success of these clinics is
evident from the over 600,000 clinic graduates to date. The Running Room
clinic program is committed to a lifestyle of fitness. The various programs
meet the needs of those just getting into a fitness routine and to those
contemplating a marathon. In addition, there is the Running Room Running
Club, which has no membership fee and allows all levels of runners to
run in a group setting twice weekly. The Running Room Running Club reallyadds
a social component to running as you get an opportunity to run with a
variety of people and receive some great coaching on running techniques
and training methods.
 In 2004 John announced the opening of the Walking
Room. In announcing the opening of the Walking Room, John Stanton, said, “Opening the Walking Room expands upon our goal to be as inclusive as possible
and bring the fitness message to a broader range of Canadians. He said his
company want to recognize fitness walking as a sport and as a lifestyle
pursuit with tremendous health benefits. The Walking Room will provide the
people with the finest running and walking products and services in the
world, while providing an environment where people of all fitness levels,
ages, shapes and sizes can feel comfortable to shop, meet and get motivational
advice and expertise that will help them pursue an active lifestyle and
gain improved wellness.”
The Walking Room carries national brands like Adidas, Asics, Nike, New Balance, Saucony, as well as Walking Room’s own line of walking hydration packs, socks, health and fitness accessories and apparel. Running Room Fit-Wear® and Walk Fit-Wear® are designed, and tested in Canada to perform under the extreme weather conditions faced by Canadians walking or running outdoors year-round.
The new Running Room/Walking Room concept stores will place equal emphasis
on providing service to runners and walkers. The company offers instructed
clinics that bring people with similar goals and abilities together to walk,
learn to run, or train for marathon events. The Running Room hosts free
group runs and walks twice per week, open to anyone interested in walking
or running. People can register or get information about running events
and seek advice from staff knowledgeable in the sport. The Running Room
organization sponsors and helps organize and promote more than 400 walks,
runs and events that raise millions of dollars for local charities and non-profit
organizations annually.
“We believe that the Running Room philosophy and our in-store environment
are unlike any other retail business in North America. While we offer clothing,
shoes, products and accessories for walkers and runners, we also help people
to change their lives through fitness activities,” said Stanton. “Through
the Running Room and Walking Room, people can gain a tremendous sense of
belonging that comes from walking or running alongside people who share
similar goals: improving wellness, while having fun and adventure exploring
our cities on foot. The Running Room becomes very important to our customers,
because their well-being is very important to us.” In Canada and the United
States, the Canadian company is now North America’s largest chain of specialty
stores for walkers and runners, our store numbers will continue to rise
as we open more locations!
Click Here to find
out about our New Stores!
→ Read
About John Stanton
Click here to see the
Junior Achievement Award Video
Click on the following links to hear more about John and his recent accomplishments!
| Download Audio Players |
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| (Windows Mp3 Player) |
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| (Mac Mp3 Player) |
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| (Mac / PC Quicktime Player) |
John's introduction to the Walking Room radio interview
with CHUM FM 104
•MOV (10 MB)
•MP3 (13.6 MB)
John's Introduction to the Walking Room radio interview with Q107
•MOV (4.2 MB)
•MP3 (6.0 MB)
John's Interview for Mclean's Honor Role
•MOV (7.4 MB)
•MP3 (9.2 MB)
The Running Room will always be driven by its
emphasis on continuous improvement, customer service, and community involvement.
We are not just selling shoes and equipment, we are selling a commitment
to active living.
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