Slingin' Shoes

Join us for a true Daily Double of an episode featuring James Batey of Flostate Running in Vashon Island, Washington and Dan Sullivan of Skechers. James has won more than $500,000 as a contestant on game shows and is hoping his next win is with a new running store on a small island outside of Seattle. Dan provides our listeners with an update on Skechers' growing commitment to performance. The brand has signed 20 MLB players, five NBA stars and is sponsoring two major race series: Wicked Wine...

As their store celebrates its 50th anniversary, Jon and Betsy Hughes of Track Shack in Orlando discuss how the business is moving on to its next generation of ownership through their son Christopher. The Hughes family shares the practical, personal and legal challenges involved in this transition and offer their lessons and advice for any store that is going through this process or considering it.

Join Mark and Chris and four guests as we do a deep dive on sustainability and the running business in advance of Earth Day. Hear from Wayne Elsey, founder of Sneakers4Good, about how his organization helps shoes find a productive second life; Gain some wisdom and insight from Alicia Chin about her role with Altra, Smartwool and Icebreaker. Caspar Coppetti, one of the founders of On Running, shares how living in Switzerland has shaped his personal and business perspective on sustainability. A...

We celebrate Women's History Month with two women who are leaving their mark on the run business: Kathy Dalby of Pacers Running and Burke Beck of Red Coyote Running. The pair share what prompted them to launch the Empowerun Retreat and reveal how the event is an important forum to discuss the challenges women face not only in the business, but in their work and home relationships. Tune in for a candid, inspiring conversation.

Mark and Chris explore two very different stores: The Loop Running Supply in Austin, Texas and Whirlaway Sports in Methuen, Massachusetts. Ryan Hess from The Loop discusses his "new age running store," which blends the style and innovation of a fashion sneaker boutique with the community outreach and customer service of a running store. Ryan gives the scoop on the store's brand collaboration strategy and how he has pioneered brands such as Satisfy and Pleasures. Ryan Kowal is a second-generat...

Eric Fruth, co-owner of Columbus Running Company, shares his three-leg stool philosophy: Retail, Races and Social and Training programs, and how they work together to drive business in his six stores. Eric also discusses CRC's innovative Grasshopper youth running club program and how it builds customers of the future and boosts the store's youth footwear sales. A great start to 2026!

Co-Host Chris Farley of Pacers shares his top 5 tips for getting the most out of TRE and some of them will surprise you. Elle Cheung of Gazelle Sports, winner of a Running Industry Diversity Coalition Scholarship to TRE, discusses how her store translates DEI philosophies into action. And Stephen Pifer of Skechers reflects on his 20-year career in the running business and his goal of running a sub-four minute mile in the same race as his son Jameson.

Hear the story of how slinging bottles of Black Velvet in 7-11 led to Harry Chandler joining the run specialty business and ascending to leadership roles at Charlotte Running Company, the Running Industry Association, and the Running Industry Diversity Coalition. Harry also talks about the Charlotte Run Hub and how it serves his store’s community. We’re also joined by Kristy Morris of Sneakers4Good, who shares information on how run stores can work with her business to support its’ efforts in...

How much bigger can run specialty get? We entertain two points of view. Industry analyst Matt Powell of Spurwink River caused a ruckus recently with comments on LinkedIn saying the run channel was not growing because it caters only to “elites.” Co-hosts Chris Farley and Mark Sullivan press Powell on what he really meant and discuss why the channel’s growth has slowed after a decade of robust expansion. Our sponsor guest all the way from Japan is Koichiro Kodama, CEO of ASICS America. Kodoma-s...

Every run store owner will tell you how crucial their employees are to their success. That begs the question then, how do you attract good employees and retain them? Kris Hartner, owner of Naperville Running helps us attack the thorny issue of employee compensation. In a world where there is no “one size fits all” approach (just like shoes!), Hartner and co-host Chris Farley share what works for them. On the sponsor side, we sit down with Bill Sternoff of BodyGlide, the man with the smoothest...

On Episode 4, Mark and Chris analyze the annual Best Stores list: what well known stores didn’t make it, what’s the deal behind one of the Best Stores conspiracy theories and how did the list grow from 50 to 60+ stores. We also discuss the ASICS resurgence with Kevin McHale and learn how he started his career as a shoe slinger at Potomac River Running. And we spend time with an up and coming Slinger, Naim Bell of Charlotte Running Co.

On Episode 2, we’re Slingin’ Shoes across the USA, starting with Jenni Peters from Varsity Sports in Baton Rouge, LA who discusses her real estate strategy and how she is rolling up her sleeves to help her community develop a trail network. Then from Fleet Feet Montclair, NJ by way of Brooklyn, we interview Axel Arroyo, shoe slinger extraordinaire, who shares how his experience and street smarts allow him to send customers home happy. And Josh Higgins of OS1st offers ideas on how to boost soc...

Welcome to Episode Zero of Slingin’ Shoes! Slingin’ Shoes is a new podcast that will be co-hosted by Mark Sullivan, founder of The Running Event, and Chris Farley, owner of Pacers Running. In this introductory episode, the two discuss what led them to develop the podcast and share the story of how Chris made the co-founder of Whole Foods cry during an interview. The two also elaborate on their plans for Slingin’ Shoes to offer insight, analysis, fun and community. In short, everything t...