A letter from our COO, plus 10 of our favorite small outdoor businesses
The day after Black Friday is always Small Business Saturday, and what a stark contrast that brings. From getting the best deals on electronics, appliances, clothes, and more from places like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and more, we celebrate and support our small businesses the very next day. We know how convenient those large businesses are (we have also succumbed to an amazon purchase a time or two) and how shopping small can take a bit more time and can be a bit more expensive, we truly appreciate your support over the years. Each and every person that supports Run The Edge and participates in our challenges makes a huge difference to us, and while others are appreciating small businesses this Small Business Saturday, we want to send our appreciation your way. Our dream wouldn’t have been made possible without you.
Run The Edge started humbly in 2010, and at that time, it was just two guys with a dream of connecting the running community, writing a book on their own journey with distance running and their running philosophy. Nearly 13 years later, it’s still those same two guys, plus some others! Now, we also have a COO, CTO, Creative Director, and Social Media & Content Marketing Specialist! While we’re still a small team, we are a mighty team, and this Small Business Saturday, we are grateful for the support you have all shown. You make a difference in the lives of small businesses!
One of the greatest assets a small business can bring is the customization and originality that comes from an innate passion for what you do. As a small team, we are deeply invested in every aspect of what we create. As you know, we don't produce challenges in volume. We produce high-quality events with products and concepts that take all year to create. That level of commitment to quality will never change. It all started with Run The Year®️, and we always hope you will join us as we continue to build the RTY family. That said, it is our commitment to continue to come up with ways to meet people wherever they are at in their fitness journey. Additionally, we commit to making a difference in the events we create by giving back. This year we added a new charity event called JOGLE while still running our annual charity challenge via Hug A Runner.
No matter what 2023 has in store, enriching your life through fitness is what gets us out of bed each day. If you have the time, grab a cup of tea (or if you are me, coffeeeee!) and read more about the team behind the scenes at Run The Edge and how you can support us. Here's to another year and here's to you. We couldn't do what we do without you!
Sincerely,
Briana Boehmer
Chief Operating Officer
10 of our favorite small businesses
While we’re also tempted by those convenient online purchases from large corporations, we remind ourselves that there are SO many small outdoor companies that we know and love with similar dreams that we support. Here are some of our favorites:
1. Wilderness Exchange
Wilderness Exchange is located in Denver, CO, and sells new and second-hand outdoor equipment! You can find sneakers, hiking boots, hiking or running vests, and even winter gear here.
2. Fleet Feet
Fleet Feet is locally owned and sells running sneakers and other running gear. They’ll help you find your perfect sneaker with their 3D scan and pressure plate readings of your feet.
3. Rocky Mountain Underground
RMU is located in Breckinridge, CO, and started manufacturing skis out of a garage. Now, they sell skis and ski gear, along with mountain biking gear and apparel. If you’re venturing into the new Run The Year features this year like completing your miles with activities outside of running or walking, you might want to check out RMU!
4. Oboz
Oboz is a footwear company located in Bozeman, MT, and specialized in premiere hiking and backpacking boots. Tackle the tallest mountains in shoes from Oboz!
5. Oveja Negra
Oveja Negra is based out of Salida, CO, and manufactures top-of-the-line bikepacking bags and apparel (and their bags come in super fun colors). Biking the year? Check out gear from Oveja Negra!
6. January Coffee
Just like America runs on Dunkin, Run The Edge runs on January Coffee, which is right down the street from us in Boulder, CO. Not only is their coffee great, but they don’t upcharge for oat milk, which is huge for us non-dairy drinkers.
7. Tracksmith
Tracksmith is a little further away in Boston, MA, but waiting a few extra days for their apparel to arrive is worth it. Tracksmith is an independent running brand that makes performance running apparel, so if you’re in the market to treat yourself, head on over to Tracksmith.
8. Roll Recovery
Roll Recovery is another local Boulder brand, Run The Edge tested and approved. They make premium recovery tools to give yourself a deep tissue massage from the comfort of your own home.
9. The Feed
The Feed is based out of Broomfield, CO, and is the best site to get all of your sports nutrition (it’s like Amazon for sports nutrition, except small, local, and more ethical). They even have some gear, recovery tools, and clothing.
10. Seven Sundays
Seven Sundays is run by a small team out of Minneapolis, MN, and focuses on creating healthy breakfast cereals and mueslis that are free of GMOs, refined sugars, or artificial sweeteners. Breakfast your body will thank you for, especially on those long mileage days when you’re trying to hit your Run The Year goals!
These are just a few of our favorites, but there are so many small businesses we love and support! And thank you for your love and support of Run The Edge over the years - small businesses are better with you!
