Running Changes Everything®: Finding Community at Fleet Feet
Austin, Texas is one of many cities around the country where Fleet Feet is an integral part of the running community.
Culture
Nathan Clemenson knows friendships can be formed over breakfast tacos in Austin, Texas.
As a new runner, Clemenson was grateful to be welcomed into the running community. Participating in the Friday morning social run from the Fleet Feet store on Seaholm Drive was an essential part of it.
Held almost every morning throughout the year, the 6:30 a.m. run typically ends with runners mingling over coffee and breakfast tacos before starting their day.
“The Friday morning social runs are just a great way to start your weekend,” says Clemenson, who now manages the Fleet Feet Circle C store in Austin. “It doesn’t matter what kind of runner you are, we’re all just going out and running and then having breakfast tacos when we’re done.”
A Welcoming Community
Just three years ago, Clemenson was a novice who didn’t know very much about running or many people who were active runners. Now he knows many of the familiar faces he sees every week on fun runs from the Austin-area Fleet Feet stores, local races and other group training runs.
The runners come from all walks of life and all kinds of running backgrounds. Some are faster runners like Jason Casady or Michael Morris, while others like J’Lane Spence start with the 10-minute mile pace group in the Circle C Run Club. Newcomers and first-timers are always welcome.
“I learned there is a big, welcoming running community and people want to engage with you and help you,” Clemenson says. “It doesn’t have to be intimidating. No one gets left behind at Fleet Feet runs.”
Austin is one of many cities around the country where Fleet Feet is an integral part of the running community. With four stores, weekly group runs and special events with running brands and local running groups, there’s many ways to engage. In May, Fleet Feet hosted two Star Wars-themed May the Fourth Be With You runs, followed by a Cinco de Mayo run the following day.
Connecting With Other Runners
When it comes down to it, Clemenson says the running community is a diverse collection of people bound by an interest in running, fitness and social interaction, but also a genuine curiosity in connecting about what they share in common and how they’re different.
A supportive, inclusive community is part of the fabric of all Fleet Feet events, including the training groups that begin in the fall for the early February Austin Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K. All running paces are encouraged and dogs are welcome to join.
“No matter what kind of runner you are, there is a community here that wants to support you,” Clemenson says. “Community is all about the people who are willing to support each other. And that’s the same when you come into Fleet Feet as a customer. We want to make sure you are as supported as possible in getting the shoes and gear you need and the service you need. We want to help you when you’re running, when you’re walking, when you’re doing anything active. We want you to feel empowered to do those things.”
Before joining the staff, Clemenson continued to visit Fleet Feet for fun runs, to buy new running shorts, socks and accessories and, of course, to get fitted for new shoes because of the support and encouragement he received. Now he helps customers have the same experience.
That includes putting runners through the Fleet Feet fit id® Outfitting Process, which allows the store’s expert shoe-fitters to recommend the best models for each individual’s specific needs. The proprietary 12-camera 3D fit id® Foot Scanning Technology takes precise measurements of the length, width and arch height of a runner’s feet, while the Dynamic Pressure Mapping system shows the movement pattern of their feet and how they absorb impact and stress.
“I just felt like it was such a good customer experience that I felt, OK, cool, I could hang out with these people,” he says. “I think that’s a really special thing because it’s a situation where you’re not just trying to sell me things, you’re actually trying to make me feel good in what I’m doing. And that’s what we try to do with every customer, no matter what kind of running background they have.”
Learn more about what’s happening at a Fleet Feet store near you and get involved with your local running community. Fleet Feet now has more than 250 locations in 40 states across the U.S. Each one engages with the local running community through running groups, local races, school programs and fun runs.
