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Casey Jermyn, Meg, and Anders running on the Up Up Trail in the St Regis area. Runners Edge hopes to put on a race in this area at some point. Photo from Carol Brooker
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What led you to open Runners Edge? What created the
idea in your mind?
A combination of a passion for running and business, lack of
direction, and blind stupidity. I was enjoying running for the
University of Montana, but like a lot of students, was struggling with
where I saw my education heading. I was home for the summer and
can still remember the day we first started talking about opening a
running specialty store. A good friend of mine, Casey Jermyn,
and I were working for my parents that summer and we spent the day talking
about a running store in Missoula. I went back to school that fall, but
struggled to get the idea of a running store in Missoula out of my head.
I grew up in a family that operated a few small businesses and the
thought of opening a business didn't overwhelm me. That next spring we decided it was time
to get things rolling and opened The Runners Edge in the summer of 2001.
I can tell you I had no idea what I was doing, but with the support of my
family and a banker willing to give us a 20 year a loan, we found a way
get the doors open.
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State xc 2015. Anders is head coach of the Hellgate Knights. PC: Melissa Kirgis |
Was there a time when you thought that you would fail? How did you overcome that?
Of course! :) We actually went through a short period of time
where we thought we had no choice but to close the doors. At
this time, Missoula was the smallest market in the country that we could
find to have a shop that specialized just in running. With the size of town and seasonality, it proved to be very tough. Now we have a very
vibrant running community but you have to remember it wasn't always this way.
There were many factors to help overcome that. We found that we
spent so much of those first 5 years with our heads in the day-to-day
operations, but we needed to get out and help grow the running community.
I have failed plenty of times in my life and I'll continue to make
mistakes I'm sure. I believe failing is not a motivator and it
isn't something that scares me. I was always told if you
worked hard enough and tried to do things right, things work out.
If you could ask for one wish, what would it be?
Clean
brain MRI's for my wife, Meg every 3 months....
How could you describe yourself in 5 words?
Stubborn,
happy, energetic, impatient, and ... is there word for terrible
grammar?
Adam Peterman and Paige Gilchrist after they both won the 3200m state championship in 2013. Photo from Paige Gilchrist
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We are
really excited about trail running right now! It is fun to see folks get
so excited about getting outside and enjoying what Montana has to offer.
We are always looking for fun ways to get runners out in the woods and we
have a couple new events coming in 2016. This year we are adding the
Bitterroot Runoff Trail Races and we hope to add another event or two
for next summer. We are also partnering with RWM to offer a new
trail training class this spring. This will be a class geared
more towards the experienced runner. There are also a few exciting
trail projects on the horizon in Missoula that will just add to
already amazing trail access.
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Meg and Anders checking out Seattle. PC: Unknown |
What is your vision for Runners Edge for the next 10 to 20 years?
Wow, I
am excited you think we will be around in 20 years! :) It is an
interesting time for brick and mortar retailers right now with increased
competition from the internet. We have a few goals, but the biggest
thing on our minds right now is finding ways to give our customers
an epic experience, whether that is in the store or at one of our events.
We don't just want to ask customers for support; we want to give them
more reasons to support us.
And as
we look forward, we hope we can help give kids more opportunity to run. Whether
that is through clubs, schools, teams or events, we want to share our passion
for the sport with the next generation.
Through your passion for running, generosity, and selfless giving toward running causes, you have made a difference in other people’s lives. Everyone who knows Meg, shares your one wish for her to have clean brain scans. Thank you Anders, Meg and Runners Edge for all that you do for the running community.
Through your passion for running, generosity, and selfless giving toward running causes, you have made a difference in other people’s lives. Everyone who knows Meg, shares your one wish for her to have clean brain scans. Thank you Anders, Meg and Runners Edge for all that you do for the running community.
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