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In tandem with the new Running Specialty Hall of Fame, the annual list of Top 50 Running Stores in the country will be honored.
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by Kathy Penote
Last year at the Independent Running Retailers Association (IRRA) event, Ellen Wessel and Elizabeth Goeke, the founders of Moving Comfort, were honored for their contributions to the running specialty business. That celebration sparked an idea among the IRRA to create a running specialty Hall of Fame to recognize others who have helped create and develop the industry over the years.
So, on Monday, November 12, the IRRA will host the first official inductions to the Running Specialty Hall of Fame. The goal is to honor retailers and others in the industry who have made lasting contributions to the business.
All of the retail candidates have been in business more than 20 years. The influencer category runs the gamut, from vendors such as Nike founder Phil Knight to Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter, who helped launch the running boom in the 1970s and later participated in the industry. Bill Rodgers founded a well-known running store along the route of the Boston Marathon that served as an incubator for many individuals who later had careers in the running business.
Not only are these men nominated, but our very own Bob Roncker is nominated as well. Below is the competition. Bob’s many years of hard work and tireless enthusiasm for running and walking have placed him as a top runner in the competition.
Good luck, Bob!
Retailers: Four of these retailers will be inducted
1. Gary Muhrke, Super Runner’s Shop NYC
2. Don Lucas, Luke’s Locker, Dallas. TX
3. Laurel James, Super Jock & Jill, Seattle, WA
4. Gary Goettleman, Ryan’s Sport Shop, Santa Clara, CA
5. Bob Roncker, Bob Roncker’s Running Spot, Cinti, OH
6. Gary Gribble, Gary Gribble's Running Sports, KC, KS
7. JD Denton, Fleet Feet, Davis, CA
8. Walt Cleary, 9th Street Active Feet, Dunham, NC
9. Sally Edward, Fleet Feet Founder
Vendor/Influences : Two of these individuals will be inducted
1. Phil Knight, Nike
2. Jim Davis, New Balance
3. George Hirsh, Runner’s World
4. Frank Shorter, Frank Shorter Sports - 1972 Olympic Marathon Champ
5. Bill Rodgers, Bill Rodgers Running Center
6. Jeff Galloway, Phidippides founder and author
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