We celebrate movement in many forms, not just fast finishes or podium photos, but the quiet, consistent act of showing up. Few people embody that spirit more than John Devine. For more than 15 years at Fit2Run, John has helped shape the company’s footwear assortment while quietly doing something else at the same time: pinning on race bibs. A lot of them.
Hundreds of races, maybe even thousands, from high school cross country to beach races, road races, and full marathons. And he’s still chasing that feeling.
“I think maybe the reality is that I run so that I can race, not the other way around,” John says.
John joined Fit2Run about five years after the company was founded, just as it was preparing for a period of rapid expansion. “There was a lot of energy around new stores, expos, Rock ’n’ Roll events coming to St. Pete,” he remembers. “Really, not much different than today.”
From the beginning, the company had a certain momentum, something John says started with its founders. Fit2Run was built by running retailer Bill “Mr. Robinson” Robinson and his son, Parks Robinson, whose shared vision helped grow the company from a single idea into a thriving running community.
“There was and still is an amazing energy around Fit2Run, which I attribute to Parks,” John says. “While his dad, Mr. Robinson, kept things under control, Parks always brought the energy and excitement.” More than 15 years later, that feeling hasn’t changed. “I’m looking forward to the next 15 years,” John says.
Running has been a constant in John’s life long before Fit2Run. His roots go back to high school cross country and track, when racing first became the thing that kept him coming back. And decades later, it still does. “Racing has always been my motivation for running,” he says. “It’s the opportunity to get out there and see what you have.”
Over the years, the miles have added up, along with a community that has grown alongside them. For more than 30 years, many of John’s daily runs have followed the same route along Riverview Boulevard in Bradenton, FL, often starting near the current Fit2Run office. Along that road he’s shared miles with friends, coworkers, vendor reps, and members of the Fit2Run family. “Along the way there have been hundreds of runners I’ve shared that road with.”
What’s changed over the years? “I’ve gotten slower,” he says with a laugh. “But I haven’t stopped racing.”
As Fit2Run’s footwear buyer, John has also had a front-row seat to the evolution of running shoes, from the models he ran in decades ago to today’s highly engineered designs.
“The footwear is definitely better,” he says. “But in a way, it’s always been getting better.”
Through all those years, one lesson has stayed constant: the importance of the right fit. “It’s probably the most important thing for a runner,” John says. “A great fitting shoe should feel like it’s almost part of your foot.”
But every runner eventually discovers something even better. “The real magic,” he says, “is when you find that ‘special’ shoe, the one that not only fits great but just feels right for you.”
After crossing hundreds of finish lines, John says the lesson is simple.
“Enjoy it,” he says. “But there’s always another one out there. It might be the end of one race, but it’s really just a short break before the beginning of the next.”
Running itself has changed too, and the biggest difference isn’t the shoes or the technology. It’s the community. “It used to feel like running was this smaller group,” he says. “Now there are so many more layers. People racing, people walking, run-walking, it’s not just ‘runners’ anymore.”
In other words, the sport has grown. “The lonely distance runner isn’t really a thing anymore,” John says. “Now it feels like everyone’s a runner.”
And through all those changes — decades of miles, thousands of races, and more than 15 years at Fit2Run, John still shows up.
Still trains. Still tests shoes. Still pins on bibs.
Because the next finish line is always out there. And for John Devine, that’s the whole point.
