Running Insight 5.1.18 by Running Insight

THE NEWSMAGAZINE FOR RUNNING SPECIALTY RETAILERS / RUNNINGINSIGHT.COM

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HOW DESI DID IT

MAKING SAME-DAY DELIVERY WORK DESI LINDEN TALKS STRATEGY & GEAR ADIDAS CHANGE AT THE TOP

2018 Boston Marathon women’s champion Desiree Linden

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RUNNING INSIGHT

DESI DOES IT

Desi Linden conquered the weather and the odds to be the first American woman to win Boston since 1985. / By Jennifer Ernst Beaudry

hen Desiree Linden ran across the finish line in Boston on April 16, she made history. The 34-yearold was the first American woman to win the legendary race since 1985, and she did it in wet, windy, freezing weather that led to 81 runner hospitalizations, hundreds of cases of hypothermia and many of the top-ranked athletes (including Galen Rupp, Deena Kastor and Lelisa Desisa) to abandon the race. So what kept the elite Brooks athlete going to notch her first marathon win? Linden said it was partially stubbornness — and partially good oldfashion pragmatism. Here, Linden sounds off on her next move, the relatable trick that kept her running and how her Michigan home base prepped her to win it all.

A week out from what was by all accounts a brutal race, how are you feeling?

Linden: “I’m feeling pretty good! I felt like we ran really slow and held up well. I wasn’t depleted, I didn’t hit the wall,

RUNNING INSIGHT ® is a registered trademark of Formula4Media, LLC. © 2018 all rights reserved. Running Insight is published twice each month, is edited for owners and top executives at running specialty stores and available only via email.The opinions by authors and contributors to Running Insight are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Articles appearing in Running Insight may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. Formula4Media, LLC, P.O. Box 23-1318, Great Neck, NY 11023. Tel: 516-305-4709.

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and I’ve recovered pretty well. Of course, I haven’t tried to run yet, which might be part of it.”

You’re the first American woman to win the race in 33 years. Has it really sunk in that you actually did it?

“It’s slowly sinking in. There was a moment recently where my husband and I were sitting by ourselves, and he was typing emails [about the win] for our coffee company, and he started to laugh-cry and he said, ‘I can’t believe I’m typing this, I can’t believe it’s real.’ And it was like, that just happened!” A lot of factors came together on race day: What surprised you?

“All of it has been super surprising! I always go into a race thinking I could win, but [the conditions] threw everything up in the air. There were so many moments when I was miserable, and I thought, I’m just gonna step off, I’m gonna stop, this is dumb — I had that thought multiple times. I’m shocked I finished and that I won.”

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RUNNING INSIGHT Desi Linden (continued)

What She Wore The almost laughably bad weather for the 2018 Boston Marathon — unrelenting rain, 35-mile-perhour gusts of wind, near-freezing temperatures — meant that the gear each runner chose to wear to the starting line couldn’t have been more critical. So what was Linden wearing for her historic run?

Threshold Gloves

The Jacket: The $120 Brooks Canopy jacket (Linden ran in the neon color-blocked Elite colorway) is made of water- and wind-resistant ripstop polyester. It also has a fitted hood designed to stay out of a runner’s peripheral vision. The Gloves: The unisex Threshold style from Brooks is also wind-resistant and waterproof, and has a mitten hood for added warmth (very useful on race day). It also has a touchscreen friendly finger pads (not as useful on race day, but very useful for most people’s runs).

Greenlight Headband

The Headband: Brooks’ unisex Greenlight headband covers the ears for warmth and uses a sweat-wicking fabric to keep you dry (when it’s not in a downpour, at least). The TOP-SECRET Race Shoes: So what about the shoes? Linden said she ran in a Brooks prototype, and while the reps for the company confirmed that she wore an advanced concepts test shoe, they wouldn’t confirm much more. The all-black prototype — which the brand handdelivered to Linden a few days before the race — is “as light as possible and has impact protection and feels fast,” a rep said. What season the shoe could be expected to hit retail, what technologies it uses, and even whether or not it was waterproof? Only Linden (and her product team) know for sure.

Canopy Jacket

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The Celebration Shoe: Linden’s husband posted a video of her drinking celebratory champagne out of a Brooks shoe the night after her victory. (View the video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/ Bhp_VJaF-7q) Her celebratory shoe of choice? The Birds of Paradise Fusion throwback ’90s sneaker from the now-shuttered Brooks Heritage collection.

You’ve spoken before about being extra protective of yourself as you enter this phase of your running career. Was that a factor as you weighed stopping or continuing?

“I do take a lot of time to be thinking long-term about how each race is going to impact the next couple of years of my career, and how much am I compromising. But I thought that even if I did step off, I’d be standing in the rain, shivering — I’d have to wait and wait and wait for a ride or a way back. And I told myself I could slow down: I was bargaining with that. Even when I’m training, once I start feeling depleted, I use that as a tool. It’s from a positive mindset, but if there’s 10 miles left to go and it sucks, I tell myself, just go to the next mile marker.” With the dire conditions on the course, how did you even begin to decide how to dress?

“It’s not crazy unusual to have to run in weather like that in Michigan [where Linden lives, training with the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project] there’s a couple of times like that every fall, winter, and spring. It’s not fun, but I know I’m not going to die. The week out, we knew it would be rough in Boston, although how bad, we weren’t sure. I’m pretty comfortable with running in tough conditions, so I packed all the right things. Knowing how to dress [is critical] like, this is the right jacket, I’ve used it before.” [For more on Desi’s race day wear, see sidebar, “What She Wore.”] Switching gears, we hear you own a coffee company?

“Yeah, it’s me and [husband] Ryan Linden and [fellow elite runners] Ben and Sarah True. We launched it right before Boston. Ben and Ryan do the roasting, it’s their baby and they do all the work. But we’re all pitching in in our own little way. We actually kicked off sales on the Monday of the race. We stated off with a bang— we’re almost sold out!” Boston is hard to top. What’s next for you?

“For the next marathon, I really want to be patient and picky about it. I don’t want to do something that I’m only partially invested in. I’m waiting for something to speak to me. But I’ll be busy in the meantime!” n

THE #DarnTough

RUNNING SERIES

RUNNING INSIGHT

STORE TO DOOR IN ONE DAY? BY DANIEL P. SMITH

am Ridenour is on a mission. And 12 minutes later, Ridenour accomplishes that mission when he approaches a residential door with a shoebox in hand and rings the bell. The 12-minute delivery represents a new sameday delivery record for Ridenour and the Columbus Running Company (CRC), nearly cutting in half the company’s previous best of 23 minutes. “[Same-day delivery] is one more way for us to entice a purchase, one more way to eliminate any excuse for why someone is not shopping local,” CRC co-founder Eric Fruth says. Ohio-based CRC officially unveiled same-day delivery in early 2017. Initially making 5-15 deliveries each week, those numbers have risen as customers have become more attuned to the service. Now, Fruth says, it’s not uncommon for CRC to complete 4-8 deliveries each day. “Those aren’t giant numbers,” Fruth admits, “but also products we might not have otherwise sold.” Fruth calls CRC’s same-day delivery program a “game changer” and credits the program with “a decent amount”

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of CRC’s growth over the past year. “It’s a chance for us to get cash in the drawer and save the customer a trip,” Fruth says, adding that same-day delivery has spurred a greater percentage of completed sales, improved the company’s inventory management capabilities and boosted customer satisfaction. The rise of same-day delivery

Answering society’s accelerating need for immediate gratification and shifting competitive pressures, same-day delivery of retail goods is becoming more commonplace. Retailers ranging from regional grocery stores to national chains like Target continue adding and promoting same-day delivery, many intrigued by the service’s potential payoff. Same-day delivery is viewed as a way to gain market share, slow the march of competitors, strengthen customer loyalty and support advanced pricing and incremental service fees. A 2017 report from Boston Retail Partners (BRP) found that 51 percent of retailers were offering same-day delivery, up from 16 percent just one year prior. Within two years, BRP predicts that number will grow to 65 percent, largely

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RUNNING INSIGHT

Same-Day Delivery (continued)

51% of retailers

offer same-day delivery.

16% same delivery

up from just one year prior.

65%

of retailers will offer same-day delivery in the next year.

driven by a desire to afford customers the ability to shop, purchase and receive items when they want and how they want. With Amazon offering same-day delivery in some markets, BRP said “the push is on for retailers to get items delivered to customers as soon as possible.” Though many retailers offering same-day delivery do not represent direct competition to run specialty shops, they nevertheless shift the paradigm and alter consumer expectations. Once upon a time, after all, no-hassle returns weren’t so commonplace. When major retailers pushed the practice mainstream, however, customers shifted, too, and compelled other retailers to fall in line. Today, the concept of the hassle-free, no-questionsasked return is rather ubiquitous across the retail landscape, including at run specialty shops. Today, same-day delivery appears to be following a similar trajectory – a one-time outlier fast approaching mainstream practice. Confronting the challenges of same-day delivery

To date, same-day delivery has been slow to take flight in the running retail space and understandably so. In spite of its potential, many shops have neither the human nor financial capital to devote to such an effort, which could mean pulling someone off the sales floor to run a delivery or absorbing the charges of a third-party vendor, especially since so many consumers expect free delivery. In Minnesota’s Twin Cities, the three-store Run n Fun chain began offering same-day delivery through BoxFox about three years ago. According to Run n Fun co-owner Kari Bach, recipients must

be within a 30-mile radius of a Run n Fun location and delivery fees are based on mileage, maxing out around $18. “This is really about convenience and that customer who needs something right away,” Bach says. The Run n Fun part of the equation is rather simple: when a customer calls with a request, an associate plugs that order into the BoxFox system. Later, a BoxFox driver picks up and handles delivery. Bach says the service has not gotten as much play as she’d like as the store only delivers “a couple of packages” each week. “We had hoped to get some of that Amazon customer, but it just hasn’t taken off like that,” she says. “Still, it’s a good tool to have and we’re committed to it.” If Run n Fun offered same-day delivery for free, Bach feels use of the service could accelerate. For now, however, that’s not a cost the company can absorb. “It would be tough to take an employee making close to $20 an hour off the floor and have them in a car for 45 minutes,” she says. At CRC, same-day delivery is free on weekday orders of $75 or more. Local customers can request a product in store, by phone or online and CRC can accommodate same-day delivery provided the order is placed before 5:00 p.m. and the product is in stock at one of CRC’s four Columbus area locations. Fruth admits that CRC has an undeniable advantage in Ridenour, a man tasked to drive between the CRC stores and distribute inventory in a wrapped CRC van. “This would be more of a struggle if we just had

Source: 2017 report from Boston Retail Partners (overall retail, not exclusive to run specialty)

Fit TRI Run, located in Galveston, TX, offers its customers same-day delivery as a personal touch.

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RUNNING INSIGHT

Same-Day Delivery (continued)

Locally Readies Same-Day Delivery Opportunity

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Working to unlock the delivery puzzle

Kim Bachmeier, co-owner of Fit TRI Run, a singleunit operation located in Galveston, TX, an island city on Texas’ Gulf Coast, casually offered same-day delivery upon opening the store in 2009. Over the last five years, however, it’s become a more formal program Bachmeier openly promotes in store and online. Fit TRI Run offers same-day, store-to-door delivery to anyone on the island. There is no restriction on the service, which means Bachmeier might deliver anything from footwear to gift cards. A customer simply calls in an order, pays over the phone and a store staff member – almost always Bachmeier – completes the delivery at no charge. “It’s a special, personal touch for our customers and we want to provide above-and-beyond service,” says Bachmeier, whose store makes about one delivery each month, though that number does tick upward around the holidays. Though Fruth says he hasn’t seen much in the way of negatives during CRC’s one-year run with same-day delivery, he acknowledges it remains a work in progress. Staff, he says, must buy into the effort, understanding the importance of collecting accurate customer information. Ridenour, meanwhile, is constantly monitoring online sales and reviewing inventory. “You need detail-oriented people here or you can waste your time and potentially disappoint your customer as well,” Fruth says. One particular challenge for CRC has been bringing a personal touch to the rather impersonal experience of delivery. To that end, CRC has experimented with placing handwritten thank you notes alongside each order. That’s something Bachmeier attempts to master at Fit TRI Run, where she’ll even toss in complimentary giftwrapping around the holidays. “I like to add that personal touch customers just don’t get with online shopping,” she says. With Amazon eager to take over the retail world and consumer expectations constantly evolving, Fruth says he and his CRC colleagues are committed to developing offerings like same-day delivery that remove obstacles and keep CRC firmly planted in customers’ consideration set. “The reality is that so many things are moving in this direction and we need to actively experiment to see what we can figure out,” he says. n

Photo: www.locally.com

FOR HUNDREDS OF RUNNING RETAILERS ALREADY ON LOCALLY.COM a new offering from the online platform could ignite stores’ ability to offer same-day delivery. In the coming months, Locally will begin rolling out sameday delivery capabilities across roughly 1,100 zip cods and 40 U.S. markets, Locally co-founder Mike Massey confirms. On the Locally site as well as those of brands who have integrated the Locally platform into their own e-commerce channels, guests will be able to view local inventory of a specific product and then select from available pickup or delivery options. When participating run shops receive a Locally.com request for same-day delivery, they can execute delivery themselves on their own terms, select their own third-party partner or use Locally’s handpicked partner, Deliv.co, to make the insured delivery for a fee. Retailers pay nothing to participate on the Locally platform, though they do pay Locally a 3.5 percent fee on each transaction. “It’s all at the retailer’s discretion and we’re trying to give the retailers flexibility,” says Massey, an outdoor retailer himself. “Our ultimate goal is to transition that customer from seeing the product to getting it into their hands from a local store.” With stores essentially functioning as the local warehouses of product, Massey calls Locally’s same-day delivery functionality “Amazon built backwards.” “We’re taking the local presence and wiring it all,” he says, adding that sameday delivery functionality elevates the visibility of local shops in today’s 24/7 economy. “Consumers are moving more and more to on-demand and this gives the local retailer an additional weapon to compete. We know specialty run shops have the knowledge and service, but now they also have the ability to drop shoes on someone’s porch within hours as well.”

one store,” Fruth says. “But it’s allowed us to take a role that was previously inventory management alone and convert it into a retail opportunity as well.”

RUNNING INSIGHT

YES, AND...

COMEDY IMPROV CAN IMPROVE YOUR UPTs

ot too long ago I went to an improvisational comedy show in Los Angeles. Had I not known one of the actors, I probably wouldn’t have gotten in - the line for tickets snaked around the block. But, as you do in LA, I dropped my friend’s name and was allowed in before the crowd. I bypassed the cocktail cart in the lobby and headed straight for the entrance. I pushed aside a heavy, felt curtain and stepped into the theater. It was smaller than I expected. A soft light shone on a dozen rows of fold-down seats. There was a hint of mid-century cigarettes. The dark stage was devoid of props. It seemed to be waiting for direction. Though it was my first live improv show, I had an idea of what to expect. After all, I grew up watching Whose Line is it Anyway? and Saturday Night Live. Still, I was excited to be at an exclusive performance featuring up-and-coming comedians. When the lights over the crowd went dark and six actors entered the stage, I shared an anxious smile with the stranger next to me. The actors asked the audience for prompts: a person, an era of time, an animal, a machine, a color. The next hour was a blur. Top-level, frenzied entertainment. The audience roared. I stuck around afterwards to chat with my actor friend. I told him I was fascinated by how such mundane things can be so hilarious. That’s when he shared with me the ageless secret of good improv. “You got to be in yes mode at all times,”

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he said. “Because if you start thinking or saying no during a sketch, the piece dies quickly.” The best improvisational actors either think, or explicitly say, “Yes, and...” when it’s their turn to speak. For example: Actor 1: Hey Tom, looks like there’s another squirrel on the front lawn. Actor 2: Yeah, no kidding, and it’s wearing a tuxedo. Actor 3: Which means it must be a mansquirrel. Actor 4: Yeah, a man-squirrel. In fact, it sort of reminds me of my dad. Actor 5: I was just about to say the same thing—I think it’s the tie that’s familiar. Actor 6: Yep. It’s definitely the tie. In fact it’s the same tie your got dad for Father’s Day last year. (and so on, and so on) My friend flat-out told me that an improv show’s transcript is often not funny. Not one bit. “The art of improv comedy comes from momentum,” he said. “Things get more and more ridiculous as the bit progresses.” He said improv isn’t necessarily about comedy at all. It’s more about making sure actors never say or think the word no. Since then, I’ve been applying this rule to specialty retail. What if retailers eliminated no from their vocabulary? Sure, everyone knows the cliché adage—always ask open-ended questions—but do retailers strategically use the energetic word, yes, to their advantage? Here’s an example: Let’s say someone comes into your shop looking to buy a

pair of volleyball shorts. Maybe you know the owner of the volleyball shop and can send customers there for a 20% discount. But what if you instead said, “Why yes, we do carry a bunch of shorts. What kind are you looking for, exactly?” OK, sure, the customer might say, “Duh! I want volleyball shorts.” But maybe, just maybe, the customer will say they are looking for a short that eliminates chafing. Fact is, they don’t want volleyball shorts at all. Had you sent them to the shop up the road, you’d have missed an opportunity. If you think (or say) “yes…and,” to every question, you earn a chance to do two things: Determine the customer’s actual need, and briefly explain what you do. Because if they are coming to your shop for volleyball shorts, odds are they have no idea what you’re up to. A flood of yesses sets the stage for real connection. It breaks down walls and offers a better chance to share stories. It works on the stage, and it’ll work in your store, too. Keep the flow. Never say no. n Tom Griffen is a storyteller. He’s also a coach and trainer for specialty retailers. For the next six months he’ll be walking across America. His planned route started in Los Angeles, headed to Phoenix, and will continue onto El Paso, Austin, Shreveport, Little Rock, Nashville, Asheville, and eventually to the Atlantic seaboard. He plans to stop at run shops within range of his eastward movement. There he’ll stock up on needed items, but also include the visit in a Running Insight article that celebrates your paths crossing. Follow him at www.mywalkinglife.com, on Instagram @tomswalkacrossamerica, or listen to his podcast, My Walking Life, on iTunes (or wherever you podcast).

RUNNING INSIGHT

Running Shorts Teddy Riner; stuntwoman Jessie Graff; triathlete Johnny Agar; and boxing and gymnastics champion Javon “Wanna” Walton. To view the campaign films, go to youtube.com/UnderArmour THORLO has introduced the Experia ProLite Running Sock

The new THORLO Experia ProLite Running Sock was developed as part of a strategic alliance with Next Fiber Technology and utilizes a nano-technology fiber called NanoGLIDE. THORLO says the result is a cushion platform for the foot that “virtually eliminates the chance of chafing, hot spots and blisters along with moisture build-up in a sock that is 30 percent lighter than other leading ultra-light running socks.” The padding under the ball and heel is the thinnest padding the Thorlo brand has ever constructed for a runner’s foot protection, which THORLO claims will actually make runners faster. There are eight sections of the Experia ProLite sock frame all of which use a different yarn weave and fabric density to optimize the design for the performance requirements of distance runners focused on achieving new goals. The introduction of Experia ProLite began with a pre-release entry on Kickstarter in March. Sub-3 Marathon in Wiivv Sandals

Natasha Hastings

UA Campaign Stars The Rock Shining a Light on Athletes

A new year-long, global training campaign from Under Armour features Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as well as several of the brand’s athlete endorsers, including world champion sprinter Natasha Hastings. The “Will Finds A Way” campaign features Johnson introducing the stories of eight trailblazing athletes: Hastings; Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini; NBA point guard Dennis Smith Jr.; actress & taekwondo national champion Zoe Zhang; world champion judoka

Chris Bellamy, an engineer at custom footwear company Wiivv, crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 02:59:36, after running the entire 26.2 mile race in flip flops in the freezing rain. The Boston Marathon was only Bellamy’s second, after running his first in Vancouver in 2017 in 2:52, in which he qualified for Boston. Bellamy and the team at Wiivv are launching the Wiivv Sandal collection this spring, and Bellamy promised to run a marathon in the sandals if the brand raised more than a half million dollars on Kickstarter for the project. (It did.) “We’ve reengineered every part of the traditional flip flop to design the most comfortable, optimized sandal ever created, and I’ve had this marathon in the back of my mind through every decision

Thorlo Experia ProLite

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RUNNING INSIGHT Running Shorts (continued) we made,” Bellamy says. Wiivv Sandals are custom-made using foot measurements taken from the Wiivv app. Each foot is digitally mapped using more than 200 points to understand arch contours, foot length, width and volume, and toe spacing. Wiivv then 3D prints a custom arch for each foot, places each toe thong to fit between the toes, and adjusts each strap to fit the foot.

Wiivv Sandals, pictured post-race

The Wiivv Sandal Collection will be available to the public this May for $129. Learn more at wiivv.com. Darn Tough Vermont Official Sock of Spartan U.S.

Darn Tough Vermont has partnered with Spartan, the world’s largest obstacle race (OCR), becoming the Official Sock of Spartan U.S. With socks that withstand the rigorous and physically demanding OCR circuit, Darn Tough execs say the durability and comfort of their socks are an ideal match for Spartan athletes. “The perseverance and enthusiasm Spartan athletes bring to their daily workouts and race days is precisely how we approach our work at Darn Tough -- it isn’t a job, it’s a passion. We’re inspired by these athletes and intend to provide them the best possible experience while out on the course, and that includes the best gear, like our socks,” explains Courtney

Laggner Marketing Manager at Darn Tough. “It’s why we’ve been using the term ‘find your tough’ as we work on this collaboration,” Laggner adds. “We know these athletes have it, and we know what it takes to dig really deep when you need it. That’s where our socks are – they never give up.” Darn Tough and Spartan are working on designing a collab sock collection that is expected to launch in early May. Fleet Feet Signs Lease in Austin

Fleet Feet has signed a lease to open a store in Austin, TX, and has already begun build out. CEO Joey Pointer told Running Insight the store in the capital of the Lone Star State will feature “a distinctively different look and design than a typical Fleet Feet.” Store Closing

JackRabbit Sports has closed its Montvale, NJ store.

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New Marketing VP at Reebok

Reebok announced the appointment of Melanie Boulden as Vice President of marketing. Boulden will lead Reebok’s global marketing strategy a nd exe cut ion. She will report to Reebok president Matt O’Toole. Boulden was most recently SVP of global marketing at Crayola. She led that company’s marketing organization in the Melanie Boulden, Reebok areas of consumer insights, product innovation, brand/portfolio management, marketing communication and creative services. Boulden has also held senior marketing positions at Kraft Foods and Henkel. n

Rampion USA Inc. / 2UNDR Seeking Independent Representative Positions for 2UNDR Men’s Briefs, Apparel and Accessories West Coast: CA, AZ, NV Pac NW: OR, WA, ID, MT Midwest: IL, WI Desired Attributes: • Success in achieving exceptional sales results; Run/Outdoor category • Passion to sell, achieves desired results consistently • Strong leadership skills, positive, energetic attitude • Strategic thinking skills • Capable of overcoming objections professionally • Proficient at multi-tasking while achieving desired sales results

Key Tasks & Responsibilities: • Weekly travel within the territory to fulfill sales goals, service customer needs, and develop new account relationships • Timely and accurate keying of orders, credit applications & other forms • Basic administration responsibilities Compensation: • Initial Seed sampling • Commission based position Contacts: Jack Curry or Jeff Curry Email: jackcurry@2undr.com jeffcurry@2undr.com www.2undr.com/us

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RUNNING INSIGHT Running Shorts (continued) New Apparel Line at Red Coyote Oklahoma City-based run shop Red

Coyote has added a store branded line of apparel created exclusively for them by rabbit. The Red Coyote collection includes a custom-woven jacquard that showcases the store’s fearsome coyote logo. The line launched in late April in conjunction with the running of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. The product represents the result of a close collaboration between the two companies, according to rabbit co-founder Monica DeVreese, an Oklahoma City native (and two-time high school state mile champion) who traces her lifelong love of running to her hometown. “It is so amazing to see this special, unique rabbit apparel in Red Coyote,” she says. They are universally respected in the running world and it is an honor to be working with them.”

The Red Coyote Collection

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RUNNING INSIGHT

Adidas North America Gets New President By Jennifer Ernst Beaudry

A Zion Armstrong

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didas America may be shifting leadership, but the strategy will stay the same. That was the word from the Portland, OR-based firm last week, when it announced that Mark King, who has headed up the German firm’s North American office since June of 2014, would be replaced July 1 by 43-year-old New Zealander Zion Armstrong. King, who had previously headed the company’s TaylorMade-Adidas Golf division, has been widely credited with helping revitalize the Three Stripes in the U.S. market, as part of the brand’s strategy of leveraging American leadership in the critical North American market. Under King, sales of the brand grew 35 percent last year and doubled its market share. Armstrong, the firm noted, has co-led the Adidas brand as general manager and been based out of the Portland offices since June 2015. King’s decision to step down was a “purely personal one,” an Adidas spokeswoman said. In his new role as president, Adidas North America, Armstrong will report to Roland Auschel, executive board member responsible for global sales. King will remain with the company in an advisory position. “This is a well-prepared, seamless transition. We are very excited to promote Zion Armstrong to one of the most important roles in our company. He has been instrumental to our success over the last three years, co-leading Adidas North America together with Mark King. We are convinced that Zion’s leadership will enable us to continue our successful journey in North America,” Auschel said in a release. n

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Recognizing stores for their achievements in community support, customer service and in-store experience. Awards Celebration: June 22, 2018 Mill City Museum Minneapolis, MN

June 21-23, 2018 Hilton Minneapolis 50bestrunningstores.com