About us
Running Free is a family business based around our love of running in all its forms. In December 2014 my brother Tom and I bought the shop, well known and loved in the area for over a decade having been established by local running legend George Booth. We’ve put our heart and souls into it ever since to take it forward and hope our community will agree that we’ve come a long way from an already good foundation thanks to George’s enthusiasm and passion for the sport for which we will always be grateful. We hope we can continue to do it justice in the years ahead.
Why we run
Running as a sport is enjoying its biggest surge in popularity ever. It’s genuinely a sport for all with no subscriptions or memberships required. A bit of motivation and a decent pair of trainers can take you anywhere and the far flung places we see our shoes on peoples feet never cease to amaze and inspire. The benefits of running for the legs, heart and lungs are well known but the headspace is the hidden gem for me, I can’t count the times I’ve forced myself out of the door in a bad mood and come back a different person and I think its this as much as anything thats the cause of runnings current boom amongst regular bods not just the athletes. Lets face it, marathon running used to be a sport for fanatics with too much time on their hands, now everyones at it!
The family
Our approach to Running Free isn’t based on retail experience, in fact, quite the opposite. My background is the music business in which I’ve been an agent, promoter and tour manager for almost 20 years producing tours and events in amazing places with incredible people, I’ve lived a charmed life. My brother Tom, on the other hand, has been racking up the air miles himself doing something far more meaningful as a humanitarian aid worker for UNICEF and Medicines Sans Frontiers in many of the Worlds most troubled places and has lived overseas for as long as I can remember. Both of us in our separate ways have had running as a salvation in times of stress and hardship and it seemed like an omen for our local running shop to come up for sale at a time when Tom was returning to a life in Blighty. With a little extra support from Dad and Laura at the helm of our marketing and social media what could possibly go wrong.
Reasons to shop with us
Community
We are independent, we love getting involved in the local community and giving back where we can, we currently offer a flat rate 10% discount on all purchases to Athletic & Running clubs, Police, NHS, Fire service, RNLI Crew, Local businesses, All Charity runners (on production of a valid race entry) and a whopping 15% to all Service personnel.
Knowledge
The knowledge and experience our Running Free team has is unprecedented. Every member of our team does some form of running, whether it's track, trail, casual, beach running or training for a marathon. There is nothing this team doesn't know about running.
Pricing
We set our prices independently but you can often find a product for a few quid less online if you look hard enough. We offer service. Almost nobody leaves our shop with the product they expected when they walked in as we help them to not only find the one that looks right, but works right for you.
Service
We want to make buying your next pair of runners an experience all of itself and have you as part of our community for the future in which we hope you’ll find other great kit to make you’re sport that touch easier and more enjoyable. If you know exactly what you want, feel free to haggle, we won’t take offence.