Going The Extra Mile

Celebrating 10 years in in business, The Run Hub is, you could say, running away from their competitors. Managing Director Mark Horan reveals why they are always ahead thanks to their unmatched in-store experience

Reaching a 10-year milestone in business is a huge achievement but The Run Hub’s Managing Director Mark Horan says it’s impossible to know in the early days how the business will evolve. Initially set up as a franchise of another business, he says they very quickly realised they were moving at a di erent pace and in opposite directions to the master franchise so went out on their own, carving a very successful path.

Now very much established as a leading running specialist retailer in Ireland, they have three stores based in Dublin and a strong e-commerce presence to serve the greater Irish market.

The business seems natural for Mark, who not only has a retail background – he spent a number of years in regional management roles with some of the major sporting brands in Ireland – but also key, is the strong running background he has himself.

“As well as having a strong running background, I spent 10 years racing triathlon with much success. My own troubles with injuries over the years got me researching internationally for more specialist retail o erings catering speci cally for the running market,” he explains. “Running and triathlon were no longer for the minorities and with this there was a growing evolution of running brands catering for all types of running consumer.”

The in-store experience

They are keenly aware of the international competition, but Mark points out The Run Hub’s in-store experience is something these brands will never be able to replicate. “‘Going the Extra Mile' is our slogan and that is exactly what we do when any customer enters one of our stores,” he continues. “Having the largest range of running-speci c footwear and associated products is only one part of this.”

It’s a true 360 business with a vast range of running and sportswear products on o er, in-store events and their unique tting processes – this has seen the retailer go from strengthto-strength.

He explains the team uses comprehensive gait analysis tting processes, using state-of-the-art 3D foot scanners, 3D pressure plates, high powered cameras so that customers get their needs tailored to exactly. The teams hare highly trained, with a “knowledge base that is unmatched” – all of which adds up to world-class service for the consumer.

“We were also one of the rst run specialty retailers in the world to bring our gait analysis tting process to the online space,” he continues. “ Using WhatsApp and Zoom we were able to quickly pivot the business to reach our regulars but most importantly reach a far wider audience across the whole country. We also introduced an online booking system from 7am to 9pm to facilitate the huge shifts in people’s working days. The success of the booking system followed into our physical stores when lockdowns lifted.”

“We also regularly host ‘try on experience’ events either from one of our stores or with clubs and we’re about to re-establish our series of in-store sessions where we will have speakers from the running industry to discuss training, nutrition, rehab, mental health and many more running-related subjects. These events help raise our pro le as genuine running specialists, but also keep us tightly linked to the running community.”

All this requires requires considerable investment, he agrees, but is key if they are to remain at the forefront of running specialty retail.

Teamwork

Having the right team is also essential to the success of The Run Hub. “We are constantly updating our knowledge base with the latest technologies from our brands so that we can in turn share this with our customers. The reality is, most customers will have done some research prior to visiting one of our stores, so we need to be ready to ‘wow’ them no matter what level of runner they are. As well as all of our team being active runners, many of them have physiotherapy and biomechanics quali cations, all of which helps add to our credibility as running specialists. Physiotherapists, podiatrists, consultants and doctors all regularly send in referrals to our stores which is always welcome as it reinforces our status in the community. Apart from one or two departures postCovid, most of our team are with us a number of years. We pay well, involve the team in key decisionmaking and provide a fun working environment for all.”

Having expanded the business last year, Mark says now it’s about settling in post-Covid and focusing on growth. “In 2022, we also opened our 3rd store in Leopardstown. 2023 is about resetting the business and looking to explore new markets. We are also exploring potential collaborations with Irish retailers across other sectors, all of which will make the business more attractive to consumers and robust into the future.”

But future plans aside, it always goes back to the customer. “We are visited by all demographics of society – Covid de nitely helped fastrack the ‘elitist’ public perception the business had (not by design), but we now regularly have aspiring Olympians and 80-year-old pensioners all in on the same day.”