Recovery and Rebirth For The Business of Running I had a really good day at work the other day. It looked similar to most of my recent days, so I couldn’t differentiate it right away because I was in the same place I’ve been for the past year and a half – my cozy New York City apartment sitting at my desk, which is backed up against a brick wall strung with holiday lights that have become year-round lights. But for the first time in a while, when my meetings ended in the early evening, I didn’t feel exhausted from the virtual world where we’ve been living. Rather, I felt invigorated and energized. I did inventory of the day to figure out what had given it this different feel. Whatever it was, I wanted to hold onto it. Christina Henderson Executive Director The Running Event
I had spoken to a dozen people in the run specialty industry that day — a mix of retailers and brand representatives, which in and of itself isn’t too out of the ordinary. But the tone and energy felt different — renewed. Most of our conversations were about The Running Event and how to have a presence to best cultivate authentic connections and conversations at the event. The Running Event is where the “You too?” connection doesn’t disappear from the screen. It can be followed up with a valuable conversation over a coffee or a cocktail. To finally be able to make concrete plans to create the space for these to occur was invigorating. It’s been said over and over – and certainly can’t be said enough – that run specialty stores have relentlessly supported their communities and kept people connected, even when it’s felt impossible to do so in the midst of a pandemic. Now, in the middle of 2021 we are finally seeing light and hope and opportunity. As we move forward into the second half of this year of “recovery and rebirth,” as we say on the cover of this special issue of Running Insight, we’ll experience highs and we’ll continue to encounter obstacles. I want to encourage all of our readers that as you continue supporting your local communities, be sure to also lean into the run specialty community. This fellowship – we could even call it a partnership – is what makes our business unique and, dare I say it, special. It’s an exciting time for our run specialty industry with the welcoming of new runners, the return of races and the ability of local run communities to be able to once again gather for special events, group runs and the always-welcome post-run get-together. When we cultivate and strengthen this community, local communities and runners benefit. The Running Event is November 30 – December 2, 2021, in Austin, TX. It will celebrate the recovery and rebirth of our special business. We’re excited to bring the industry together and encourage connections, do business and create good together. I can’t wait to see you there. Christina Henderson Executive Director, The Running Event chenderson@divcom.com
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