Sports Insight

sportsinsightmag.com as everyone else. It's not an aspiration, it's a recognition that we're resonating with them." It was during the recession of 2008 that Fitzgerald began talking with his former Boston College track & field co-captain, Justin Burdon, about what they both could create with their respective pedigrees and histories in running. e result was a 900-sq.-. store in South End of Boston, the precursor to the current banner, that they aptly named, the South End Athletic Co. when it debuted in Oct. 2009. Less than three years later, a second store and the inspiration for a banner rebrand- ing opened in 1,600 sq. . at the marathon's Mile-20 marker in Newton, MA. Fitzgerald designed the chain's Heartbreak logo himself. In July 2016, the largest Heartbreak Hill Running Co. location opened in Cambridge's Central Square neighborhood. e 2,200-sq.- . footprint includes a store and an adjacent, mirrored studio with 20 treadmills. "We offer, just like a SoulCycle or FlyWheel, a studio class for runners by runners," com- ments Fitzgerald. "I write all the programming and essentially, it's a track workout or hill workout in disguise. It has lights, it has music. It has a coach providing you with coaching cues, and fun and conversation. And then you grind some intervals and that sort of environment. "My goal is to meet every runner where they are with what they need," proclaims Fitzgerald who calls himself the "heart & mind" of the retail business and his one-time BC co-captain and former Ernst & Young executive Burdon the "nuts and bolts" focused on Heartbreak Hill's financial plans, business models and schedules. e duo communicates regularly on the business's daily functions and long- term strategies. He says the close proximity of the athletic brands has never been an added pressure on the business, adding he and his partner expect to be the sole drivers of their business. He adds, "a good rep is a good rep. It doesn't matter where their company is based." Beyond the daily 2-6x studio workouts all craed by Fitzgerald and a favorite of runners during cold, snowy Boston winters, Heartbreak Hill hosts a weekly workout at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology track, hill and speed sessions on different evenings and long runs every Saturday. In addition, there is the affordable "Heartbreaker Team" for interested local runners that offers an array of services, including a digital portal that has advanced training plans for 5K, 10K, half marathons and full marathons and a variety of training videos, some with coaches, some with professional athletes and some with Fitzgerald himself. "Our mission is to just over deliver. Once you catch the running bug or you're curious about the running bug, we want to empower you with the tools to get better at it. Part of it is getting the right shoes on your feet, but that's not the only part." Fitzgerald makes it abundantly clear that Heartbreak Hill Running Co., which took its concept outside of Boston for the first time this month with the opening of a 2,000-sq.-. store in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, is more about the whole running experience and less about individual trans- actions, which frankly can be done about anywhere these days, he points out. The merchandise breakdown in Heartbreak's current locations is approximately 55 per- cent footwear, 35 percent apparel and 10 percent accessories with a small selection of Heartbreak Hill-branded merchandise in the assortment. "e objective is to be the strongest running brand in the country," he says. "I think that's our aspiration. We want to meet every runner wherever they are with whatever they need." n Sports Insight May/June 2019 • 19 "I think we are definitely in our second running boom, and I think you can see it really spreading wide and crossing socioeconomic and cultural barriers." PODCAST To listen to a Sports Insight Extra podcast with Heartbreak Hill Running Co.'s Dan Fitzgerald, visit our podcast page on sportsinsighextra.com

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