Trading name Marathon Sports Founder Howard Sagrans Headquarters Waltham Type of business Private | Industry Retail, Specialty Website marathonsports.com Founded 1975 | |
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Area served Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island Products Running/Walking Footwear and Athletic Apparel Number of locations 19 (11 Marathon Sports, 4 Sound Runner, 3 Runner's Alley) Profiles | ||
Marathon Sports, Inc. is an American chain of sporting goods retailers. It is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, and operates 11 stores in Massachusetts under the Marathon Sports brand, locations in Connecticut operating under the SoundRunner brand and three locations in New Hampshire operating under the Runner's Alley brand. The chain mainly sells running/walking footwear and athletic apparel.
Contents
All stores that fall under the Marathon Sports, Inc. umbrella are considered run specialty stores. Run specialty stores specialize in all aspects related to running including running shoes, socks, nutrition, hydration and apparel. Employees are trained in how to fit customers for running and walking shoes and are very knowledgeable on any injuries related to running. The stores under Marathon Sports, Inc. umbrella are involved with their local running communities. Many stores have training groups for races, from 5ks to half marathons.
RunBase
In a joint venture between Marathon Sports, the Boston Athletic Association and athletic supplier Adidas, a 2,000 sq ft (190 m2) Boston Marathon museum, locker room, and retail store was built just blocks from the marathon finish line. Historic relics displayed include clothing and shoes worn by runners and a second-place medal from the first Boston Marathon in 1897. The store is managed and staffed by Marathon Sports and features clothing, shoes, and other products from Adidas. This new retail concept was planned to become a community hub for runners who are traveling to the city and for runners who live and work in the city.
Boston Marathon bombing
On Patriots' Day, April 15, 2013, the 117th annual Boston Marathon was struck by two pressure cooker bombs, with the first exploding outside the Marathon Sports store located at 671–673 Boylston Street at 2:49:43 pm EDT. Employees of the store provided first aid to some of the bombing victims by using clothing as makeshift tourniquets. Staff members and customers also testified at the bombing trial against then-suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in 2015.