Today’s podcast guest, Chris Chapman (AKA Chicken), established The Running Company in 2009 at Bondi Beach, Sydney. Fast forward 11 years and he now has 10 stores all over Australia. The Running Company is unique in its approach because they sell only running shoes and the staff gain an in depth knowledge about every style they carry. They also do a full gait analysis and, where appropriate, work with other health professionals like physiotherapists and podiatrist, to ensure that each customer gets the best service and walks (or runs) out of the store with the correct shoes to reduce the risk of injury.
Chris and I chat about his path to opening The Running Company, his excellent grounding at Nike, his own sporting endeavours – he has a pretty impressive marathon PB of 2:46 – and the reasons why having the right shoe helps minimise the chance of injury.
A theme that come up often in my conversation with Chris is that his stores are “all about the people” from customers to staff to store owners.
Do yourself a big favour and check out the running company: https://www.therunningcompany.com.au
Adelaide store for all you locals out there: https://www.therunningcompany.com.au/adelaide/
