In September, 1983, Michael Gotfredson, fondly referred to as Mike G. or Chief Runner, founded Road Runner Sports to provide sports minded people like you with an alternative; the ability to buy quality fitness products at great prices. Back then, Road Runner Sports was just a garage space in Del Mar, California and on the first day of business, the lone employee took seven orders.
Each order was taken by hand on credit card forms, individually phoned in for authorization and shipped out with handwritten mailing labels. Checking inventory required the sales representative to open the warehouse door and ask, “Do we have any Excalibur size 9?” When a shipment of shoes arrived, all work stopped. The entire company went out to check in the 100 or so pairs of shoes and process the orders. From the beginning, the importance of teamwork played an essential role in our growth and success.
Twenty-five years later, Road Runner Sports can attribute its successes to the special one-on-one relationship it enjoys with you, the customer. That relationship has flourished because our employees (now over 400!) make the most of every opportunity to interact with you. Each and every order taken & shipped, product selected for the catalog, website, retail store, catalog mailed, and more are opportunities to establish and develop a personal relationship with you.
Road Runner Sports now has distribution centers in San Diego, California, and Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, we have neighborhood retail stores throughout California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia, with more on the way! Road Runner Sports’ size and locations may have changed, but the one thing that remains constant is our commitment to you, our customers, and your passion for running and fitness.
