These are the 2026 Best Running Stores in America
The Running Event (TRE), North America’s specialty run retail conference and trade show, has announced that 65 running stores have earned the 2026 Best Running Store honor, recognizing specialty retailers whose commitment to customer service, community leadership, and employee development elevate the running industry.
The honor, once awarded by Competitor Group, has been handed out by the team behind the sizable December trade show for the past decade. It was once limited exclusively to 50 stores, but the list size has ebbed and flowed over the past few iterations, expanding to 65 last year.
The run specialty channel, meanwhile, continues to undergo rapid transformation. Stores have expanded beyond technical footwear and gait analysis to include lifestyle apparel, recovery gear, accessories, and much more. According to the TRE team, this year’s Best Running Stores nomination and scoring process revealed a clear theme: the top retailers are prioritizing genuine human connection. These stores are focusing on face-to-face interactions while customers are in-store, employee support and growth opportunities (including investment in employee benefits and compensation), and creating welcoming, inclusive environments where all community members connect, learn, and feel supported, no matter where they’re at in their movement journey.
It’s an extensive process to wind up on the Best Running Stores list. Stores are nominated initially by their own customers for the honor through an online submission process. This year, more than 8,000 submissions were received by TRE staff, nominating 268 unique store locations across 49 states. From there, each nominated retailer completed an extensive, multi-phase assessment which included scoring on operational excellence, community involvement, team culture, future expansion strategies, and more.
The top 100 stores following this assessment were then secret-shopped twice, with each visit testing stores in different product categories. One visit was solely focused on the footwear category, scoring stores on their fit processes, product knowledge, and personalized shoe recommendations. The second visit focused on how well stores educated customers in non-footwear categories, including apparel, socks, and supporting gear. Both visits also scored the overall customer experience and atmosphere in the store.
The final rankings were based on a combination of their assessment scores and the two secret shopper visits. The overall top running store will be revealed at The Running Event, held this year December 1-3 in San Antonio, Texas, with all honorees being recognized at the event as well. 2025 Store of the Year Running Lab is among the 2026 nominees.
“Run specialty stores are so much more than places to buy shoes—they’re gathering spaces where people build confidence, find community, and discover a lifelong connection to movement,” said Genae Salinas, Event Director of The Running Event. “The TRE team is so proud to recognize the retailers who move our industry forward through exceptional service, strong teams, and the relationships they build with individuals every day.”
The 65 Best Running Stores
Stores listed below are in alphabetical order. Certain retailers may have multiple stores; if known, the individual location honored is listed.
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I’m sorry but isn’t adding a bunch of Fleet Feet locations in a “Best Running Store” list kinda like adding a slew of Wawa’s or Jersey Mike’s to “Best Hoagies?”
They’re all pretty much the same, aren’t they? And nothing really spectacular, at that
I could be wrong; we used to have one around here, and it died, and no LRS came to take its place (that might say more about the South Jersey Running Community/Experience more than anything, really)
We have this, and that’s pretty much it
They’re all quite different from one another, actually.
Each one is independently owned / operated as a franchise. They all follow (somewhat) the same fitting parameters, but it’s like, say, the Kaiser health network – some offices, some providers, are way better than others, even though they’re all in the same system.
It really depends on the franchisee, and the staff they develop.
Example: my old store in Maine used to be fully independent. Then our owner decided that he wanted to become a Fleet Feet franchise. Most stuff stayed the same. After a while he opted to transition out of that franchise, and sold the whole thing over to Marathon Sports, which now operates a whole bunch of stores in MA, CT, RI, NH, and ME.
But, as noted in the list – it was “just” the store in South Yarmouth, MA that got the honor.
Fleet Feet locations can be great. They can also be shit. Just like any other run specialty door.