Running Insight

4 runninginsight.com © 2018 Formula4media LLC. RUNNING INSIGHT Let the marketing experts label it the experiential economy. Let the retail analysts call it the cost of doing business. By Daniel P. Smith IN THE RUNNING SPECIALTY CHANNEL, WE KNOW better. This is who we are. This is our DNA. This is how we connect and earn business. From fun runs and in-store events to community programs and spirited competitions, running shops across the U.S. continue unveiling clever and noble-minded ideas underscoring the dynamic energy that dominates our world. It's these efforts that separate us from the rest – the Amazons and Zappos, the big-box chains and the discount monoliths. In an effort to spark continued innovation and ingenuity across the channel (read: to inspire your brainstorming sessions and subsequent marketing efforts), Running Insight presents 50 creative, fun and generous ways running stores are connecting with their communities and their customers to deliver authentic, distinct and memorable experiences. In no particular order of awesomeness: 1| "It's not how fast you go, but how well you know your pace." That's the tagline of Bull City Running Co.'s Shot in the Dark Prediction Run in which partici- pants predict their 6K-race time at a Durham, NC, trail. 2 | Women W ho Workout a nd Wine is a un ique, lively and wine-filled fundraising event hosted by Montana's Bozeman Running Co. each October. With proceeds benefiting Cancer Support Community Montana, the event features a running fashion show, a bachelor auction and live auctions from the best of Bozeman's small businesses. 50 WAYS RUNNING STORES PROVE THEIR AWESOMENESS Runners High, Festivus Run

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