Today we’re speaking with the Running Room founder, John Stanton, who back in 1981 was an out-of-shape 2-pack-a-day smoker that could barely run from one lamppost to the next. His now popular run:walk approach got him pretty darn fit, to the point that his first 19 marathons were all under 3-hrs and he even made it to the World Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii. In 1984 he opened a tiny store in Edmonton to service the needs of local runners, which has grown to become the largest running retailer we all know and love with over 100 outlets and 1300 employees throughout North America. But he’s perhaps best known for being the mascot of the Running Room. If you’ve attended a major road race in Canada we’ll bet you’ve stood in a long lineup to get your selfie with this legend, and Carolyn even opens with a story of her various meetings with him over the years.
Close to 1 million people have gotten their start in the sport at a Running Room clinic, and that doesn’t include the millions more who have independently followed the advice in his 10 best-selling books. John has received numerous awards for his contribution to the health and fitness of our nation, he serves as an Honorary Col to an army unit in Edmonton, he is an inductee to the Canadian Retail Hall of Fame, he is regularly featured on national news and radio shows, and if that weren’t enough...he is a member of the Order of Canada.
John Stanton is powerful but also incredibly humble, and as you’ll see in this interview he genuinely loves the sport of running and possesses a remarkable ability to help others fall in love with it as well. We are so grateful to him for sharing this hour with us, and we hope his words will add an extra spring in your step today.
Connect with John:
Resources we discussed in the episode:
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