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FIT2RUN, THE RUNNER'S SUPERSTORE, WINS TWO PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARDS
November 25, 2009

Bill and Parks Robinson receiving the award from Chris Bevin, General Manager, Balega International at the recent Running Event show in Austin Texas.

BRADENTON, FL - Fit2Run has been named one of The 50 Best Running Stores in America for the second year in a row. The award was presented by Formula 4 Media, producers of The Running Event, the largest conference and trade show for running specialty stores in North America.

Fit2Run was also named the winner of the 2009 Ubuntu Award created by Balega Sports International to honor ONE specialty running store that does an outstanding job of community service, also presented at The Running Event.

The 50 Best Running Stores in America list is the result of a year-long process that rates running stores based on their customer service, their relationship with the community they serve and a number of other key factors.   Starting in the spring of 2009, Formula 4 Media solicited nominations from consumers, members of the trade and even stores themselves. The nominations were edited and vetted and narrowed down to about 120 stores that underwent an intense evaluation process. The evaluation included a mystery shopping rating that evaluated the store on 20 different points. This was done by a secret shopper who spent  $100 in the store and rated it on points ranging from staff knowledge and attitude to “does the store offer clean try-on socks” to how simple was the check-out process and what was the quality of the shopping bag with which you walked out the door.

How a store supports its local community is another key factor in determining what stores make the list. The community support is evaluated based on sponsorship of local races, support of charities and essentially what the store does for its local community of runners.

“There are hundreds of great running stores in the country, but we believe this list represents The 50 Best,” said Mark Sullivan, president of Formula 4 Media. “Every store on this list should be proud that they earned their way on to the list based on feedback from the toughest, most objective judges out there, their own customers.”

Ubuntu Award
The Ubuntu Community Service Award goes to only ONE company in the United States.  Fit2Run is this year’s recipient, presented by Chris Bevin, General Manager of Balega International, the creator of the award. Chris says, “This award goes to a store that epitomizes the spirit of community involvement. The culture of Balega is from the strong belief in community or family common to many of the tribes in South Africa.  We draw a lot of inspiration from the beliefs of their people.  That belief is the basis of this award and it’s name, Ubuntu, attempts to define that belief.”

Bevin continues,  “When the time came around to consider recipients of this years award, I really struggled with what this award is asking people to do – to go above and beyond what you do everyday, which would be Herculean enough with all we have going on in today’s world and economy, to do something truly special and long lasting.”

He says, “We chose to recognize a store that has embodied the term Ubuntu through their deeds.  We wanted to make sure we took the time to recognize those actions that do not directly translate into dollars in the cash register but have much longer lasting affect on the lives and communities of the people that this store is able to touch everyday.”

Running Insight Magazine reports, “ Fit2Run is extremely involved in many charitable endeavors throughout Florida…But in presenting the award, Chris Bevin of Balega specifically cited the work of William Robinson and his son, Parks Robinson, owners of fit2Run, and their work developing a 497 acre wildlife and nature preserve on the south side of Tampa Bay in a neighborhood in north west Bradenton. The Robinson Family’s charitable donation helped Manatee County purchase the land to create the Robinson Preserve.”

A few years ago, Bill Robinson was approached by the Department of Environmental Protection in Florida because they needed to cut channels through his property to help flush water from the Palma Sola Bay into Tampa Bay.  The Palma Sola Bay had become restricted in its flow because of construction of a road several years earlier.

Mr. Robinson took advantage of this opportunity and, working with the department, the county and others, created a 497-acre park around the design of these channels.  He opened up his land to the community of Manatee County and The Robinson Preserve was born.
He didn’t have to do this.  But he saw the benefit to the community and the environment for the long term. 

Included in the 497-acre park are 6 miles of kayak and canoeing trails, 12 acres of open water, 56 acres of marshland, 20 acres of uplands, 2 docks, a 500 foot long boardwalk, 6 bridges, 10 miles of coastal, 7 miles of shell walking/jogging trails, 2 miles of paved trails for the handicapped, live campfire camping, fishing piers, bird observation locations, live nesting eagles and even a 55 foot tall observation tower.

Today, hundreds of people escape to the restored coastal habitat each week and at least 20,000 people per month. It offers a wealth of activities for outdoor lovers. 

The Robinson Preserve and Fit2Run hosted a kick-off 5k Run this past March to open the property.  More than 600 adults and children were there for the history-making event.
Bill Robinson and his son, Parks, take this strong sense of community and include it into their store’s mission and even when they have opened additional locations in Wellington and Tampa, they include that strong sense of involvement and this same philosophy into each community where they are located.

Local races and event sponsorships are key to their philosophy.  They partnered in more than 100 races last year with much of those proceeds going to local charities touching lives even further.
So, there are many ways to change your community for the better.  What the Robinson family have done in their community will not be getting paved over for a parking lot anytime soon. 

Special References/Contacts:
Formula 4 Media is a B2B publishing and event company that produces The Running Event, The Soccer Event, and The Green Event and The Footwear Event. The company publishes a range of leading trade magazines including Sports Insight, Footwear Insight, Textile Insight and Team Insight.
For more information on Formula 4 Media, visit www.formula4media.com For more information on the 50 Best, please contact Mark Sullivan at 646-319-7878.