EYE ON U.S.
RUN SPECIALTY
By Bob McGee
I
n the aerglow of the Paris Olympics,
where track & field events sparkled,
and major athletic brands got some
added exposure on the world stage,
Runstyle reached out to U.S. run specialty
retailers to get their key takeaways on
any emerging trends overall in the run
specialty market and how various brands
are faring in their distribution channel
amid of a flurry of key developments
within those brands.
One industrywide trend to keep an
eye on during upcoming selling seasons
revolves around the max cushioning
designs prevalent in footwear. Some see
runners showing some inclination to steer
away from being maxed out, while others
are not so sure.
"e core runner is starting to say, 'I
don't know if I want all this 'cush,'" asserts
John Notary, the footwear buyer for
Aardvark Sports in Bethlehem, PA "I'm
personally waiting for when the pendulum
swings back from max cushioning," he
added, pointing out that he's seen more
targeted designs for barefoot but not
to the degree of Vibram's Five Fingers
minimalist concept.
Brittany Katz, the owner and operator
of Terra Running in Cleveland, TN,
however, contends that her store's core
FOOTWEAR
12 • July/August 2024 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com
