Roadrunner Sports speeds into area
By Monty Tayloe
Runners in northern Fairfax County recently got a new retail outlet where they can purchase their gear – the just-opened Roadrunner Sports store in Falls Church.
Although the company's first D.C.-area location is physically new, Roadrunner is a familiar company to running enthusiasts, who know the store through the company's catalog and Web site.
“People say, 'Oh, there's an actual store!'” said Kate Roventini, manager of the new store.
Roventini is mainly a soccer player but also an avid runner, and plans to lead group runs from the store on the nearby W&OD Trail once she's back in condition – her knee is still injured from a soccer mishap.
Roventini's favorite thing about the new store is the “Shoe Dog” area, where runners are precision-fitted for high-quality running shoes.
The Shoe Dog System is a “running analysis center” in which employees watch customers run on a treadmill to find out how they run and the way shoes hit their feet. This allows employees to fit customers more precisely into the right shoe.
“We look at how your heel strikes the ground, the shape your foot is, how your arch is shaped. We look at everything,” Roventini said.
Teaching employees how to fit the shoes offered at Roadrunner Sport takes up the bulk of their training. Along with running shoes, the store offers “walking shoes, anything in footwear or related to footwear,” according to Roventini.
The store's grand opening sale will continue until March 16.