K
ansas City, MO, has never
been considered a trail running
hotbed. Over the last two
years, however, Tracy and
Nick Pigg have been making
strategic efforts to change that,
leveraging a surprising number
of K.C. area trails and rising
interest in non-traditional running endeavors
to promote trail running alongside Run 816,
the couple's 1,500-square foot running shop
in Kansas City.
And those efforts haven't been for naught.
In fact, the Piggs' investment in trail-
specific footwear from brands like Hoka
One One, Saucony, Altra, Brooks and
New Balance paired with other trail-
oriented products, fun runs and a few savvy
partnerships has helped Run 816 distinguish
itself from its Kansas City peers and bring
trail running into the spotlight, much to the
store's ultimate benefit.
"Trail running is now a nice piece of our
store's business and a real niche for us,"
Tracy Pigg says.
The case for promoting trail running
Beyond the high-powered trail running
environments of Colorado and its mountain
state brethren, running trails pepper the U.S.
landscape. From challenging single-track
trails filled with tree roots, rocks and steep
ascents to more manicured gravel, dirt or
limestone paths amid major metro areas,
6 runninginsight.com © 2017 Formula4media LLC.
How Run
Shops Can
Benefit from
Embracing
the Trail
Running
Category
By Daniel P. Smith
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
