Redefining What it Means to be a Runner
by
Mark Jimenez
You’ve probably heard of Simon Sinek, he’s the guy who goes around telling you to “Start with why.” His TED talk from 2009 has racked up over 65 million views. If you haven’t seen it, you can view it by clicking here. He’s written several books, and I’m currently reading “Start with Why.”
The premise of the book is simple. Organizations that focus on why they do things, rather than on what they do/sell, succeed. To quote from the book, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
Our “Why” at Red Rock Running Company isn’t a secret. Every one of our sales associates should know it! Our vision is to Redefine What it Means to be a Runner. That’s why we are here, and that’s what we are all about here at Red Rock Running Company. You might have heard me say it on the radio or in one of our digital ads. Redefining what it means to be a runner is at the core of everything we do at Red Rock Running Company.
When somebody says the word “runner” what is the first image that pops into your head? Does it possibly look like one of these people?
Even though I ran in high school, I was never a great runner. I was 7th on our Cross Country team of 8 boys, and I was only 7th because I had to bribe my friend Jonathan to let me beat him at the last race so coach would select me for regionals (sorry about that Coach Johnson, I hope you're not reading this). I’ll never forget coming to the finish of that race and Jonathan yelling at me to start running faster. I was definitely not a fast runner! For a long time I didn’t even consider myself a runner!
Fast forward many years to when my friend John Benfield talked me into running my first half marathon. I had so many questions about running! I remember thinking, “if only there was a store that focused just on running.” I was shocked to learn that there actually were stores like that! So I quickly grabbed my things and went into one of the stores here in town.
This is what I looked like back then, and I definitely didn’t consider myself a runner.
I’ll never forget the feeling that day as I sat around in the store and waited to be helped. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I didn’t consider myself a runner. I certainly didn’t look like what I considered a runner should look like. I had all these preconceived notions in my head and they were defining the way I was viewing my experience. The customer service experience I got that day wasn’t great, and that laid the foundation for how we want to Redefine What it Means to be a Runner.
Years later I had the opportunity to actually buy Red Rock Running Company. The first couple of years were a blur of learning how to run a small business. Eventually we got to the point where we were ready to lead with change rather than react to current situations. Around that time we hired a consulting firm The Mann Group and with them we developed our vision.
Do you know what one of the most common things we hear from our customers is?
“I’m not a runner.”
Everybody is a runner! That’s what redefining what it means to be a runner is all about. Olympians aren’t the only people who can claim they are runners. If you can put one foot in front of another then you are a runner. I’m going to ask you again, when I say the word “runner” what image pops into your head?
It should be a picture of you running.
That’s what redefining what it means to be a runner is all about.
Running and walking are two of the healthiest activities you can do, and they are available to everybody, not just elite athletes! I could write a blog post every day for a month about all of the health benefits of running and walking and I wouldn’t need to cover the same topic twice. This sport is for everyone.
So whether you are just getting started or out for your 500th marathon, whether you just need a comfortable pair of shoes for work or want to go for a walk with a loved one, we’re here for you. You’re not going to be judged when you walk in. We can only redefine what it means to be a runner if you join us on this journey.
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Every Run is a Good Run