Winter is fading, and the running community is gearing up for a warmer season of new products, weekly community runs, 10Ks, and marathons. Runstyle reached out to some leading specialty retailers for their thoughts on the running business.

Here’s what they had to say about initiatives they’ve seen success with this past year and what they are excited about in 2026:

“I’m really encouraged by the renewed focus on non-plated daily trainers. For the last few years, most of the attention has been on plated shoes, especially on the racing side, but the reality is that the everyday trainer is still the backbone of what most runners use. That’s the shoe people put most of their miles in, so it has the biggest impact on comfort, durability, and consistency. It’s great to see brands putting more energy back into that category—new foams, better geometry, and just more versatile shoes that feel good for a wide range of paces without needing a plate.

What’s especially encouraging is that this feels like a direct response to what we’ve been hearing from customers and seeing on the sales floor. A lot of runners like having a plated option for workouts or races, but they still want something that feels more natural and stable for their daily miles. Seeing brands react to that feedback and bring out new, exciting non-plated options is a healthy sign for the industry.

From a business standpoint, it’s a strong category with broad appeal and great repeat potential, so we’re optimistic about where it’s headed over the next couple of seasons.”- Eric Contreras, Runners Plus

“In 2025, we added vendor training sessions to our monthly staff meetings, and we feel like this added valuable product training opportunities that benefit our entire team in a short period of time…We have seen some traction with Mount to Coast R1 and H1 and want to continue that into 2026. The R1 has been a hit with our Hyrox customers as well as the Saucony Endorphin series and Puma Deviate series. We have customers excited about competing in a Hyrox competition this year, so we are targeting that demographic with footwear and apparel through our social media and demo events.”- Karen Roberts, Get Fit

“One of the most impactful initiatives we leaned into in 2025 was doubling down on ‘community before commerce.’ We expanded our in-store and out-of-store experiences, including weekly run clubs, social runs tied to local events and breweries, and more intentional partnerships with nonprofits and local organizations.

From a retail standpoint, this translated directly into stronger loyalty, better conversion, and more meaningful customer relationships. We also refined our fitting process by investing more in staff education, and became more intentional about storytelling around product, why it exists, who it’s for, and how it fits into someone’s life, not just their training plan.

One of our biggest areas of focus is continuing to expand and refine our high-performance footwear lineup. We’re seeing strong demand from runners who are increasingly knowledgeable and intentional about what they put on their feet, whether that’s for racing, training, or long-term durability.

We’re also excited about broadening our brand mix, including the addition of Adidas to our lineup. Bringing in brands with deep performance heritage and race-proven results allows us to offer more options across a wider range of athletes while still staying true to our specialty fit and service model. At the same time, we’re seeing continued momentum in casual and crossover footwear and apparel, particularly from brands like On, Altra, and Hoka that blend performance DNA with everyday wearability. Customers want products that move seamlessly from a run to the rest of their day, and that category continues to be both exciting and optimistic from a business standpoint.”- Tim Waz, Grounded Running

“We started partnering frequently with our vendors, unique local gyms, physical therapists, stretch labs, yoga and cycle gyms, special speakers etc. for our morning group runs, and we are finding that the group run is becoming a space where people love to hang out and come back each weekend to be with each other and really use our space to hang out. Having a consistent group is really the key to forming this atmosphere. We are also doing a cool team relay at our group run with Saucony, promoting the new Azura and Endorphin Pro 5!

“We have been having a rough winter so far. It has been tough for business this January and February. One of the coldest and snowiest winters on record for Long Island, NY, so we are looking forward to getting to March! We are excited to see some of the new line-ups from shoe brands. Saucony, Asics, and Nike have some cool shoes coming out that we are excited to get and start promoting! For example, the Saucony Endorphin Azura is a completely new shoe.” - Allie Cook, Runner’s Edge

“I’ve worked in run specialty for over a decade, and honestly, 2026 may be the most exciting year yet for footwear. Midsole foams are more premium than ever, delivering incredible energy return, durability, and comfort across a wide range of price points. What really stands out is how brands are embracing both higher and lower stack heights with intention. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, we’re seeing differentiated ride experiences—shoes designed with purpose for daily training, performance, speed, and recovery. From a retail standpoint, that variety allows us to better match footwear to individual runners and walkers, which ultimately leads to happier, healthier customers…

At Running Lab, we believe long-term success comes from continually investing in strong fundamentals, not chasing trends, but refining what already works and building intentionally for the future. In 2025, we focused on reinvesting in the core of our business while laying the groundwork for sustainable growth. One of the most impactful initiatives was strengthening our partnership with the Detroit Free Press Marathon. That relationship has allowed us to support runners at every stage of their journey while reinforcing our role as a trusted resource in the regional running community. We also made significant investments in our website and shipping operations, which led to major gains in our e-comm business. To support that growth, we opened a dedicated warehouse to improve storage, fulfillment, and efficiency—allowing our in-store team to stay focused on customer care while scaling our online reach.”- Toni Reese, Running Lab