Where It All Started
Twenty years ago, Fit2Run, The Runner’s Superstore, opened its doors in Sarasota, Florida with a simple idea: help people find what they need to keep moving and stay active. From the beginning, Fit2Run took a different approach, bringing the expertise, product selection, and personalized service of run specialty into a mall-based retail environment. What started close to home for founders Bill and Parks Robinson would grow into something much bigger than they ever imagined.
Over the last two decades, the shoes have changed, technology has transformed the way we find the right fit, and the running community has grown to welcome runners, walkers, and anyone looking to live a more active life. Fit2Run has grown right alongside it, expanding from one Sarasota store to 45 locations and counting.
A lot can change in 20 years, but every mile still starts the same way: with one foot in front of the other.
20 Years, One Mile at a Time
As Fit2Run grew, so did the ways we could show up for our communities. What began inside our stores expanded to starting lines, finish lines, Run Clubs, race weekends, and new communities across the Southeast and Puerto Rico.
A major turning point came in 2013 with the opening of Fit2Run at Disney Springs. Becoming part of the Walt Disney World Resort introduced Fit2Run to an entirely new audience and marked a new chapter for the brand. Disney Springs would go on to become Fit2Run’s top-performing location and help establish a relationship with the Disney running community that continues today.
In 2015, Fit2Run took its first step beyond Florida, expanding into Puerto Rico. Three years later, we launched Fit2Time, which has since evolved into a full-service race timing and event management division, allowing Fit2Run to become even more deeply involved in the running community from the first step to the finish line.
In 2020, Fit2Run experienced a profound loss with the passing of co-founder Bill Robinson. In his memory, the Big Bill Foundation was created to carry forward his legacy and make a lasting impact on the lives of young people. Since its founding, the Foundation has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to young people who have battled childhood cancer. Today, Fit2Time manages six Fit2Run-owned races that benefit the Big Bill Foundation, bringing together two important parts of the Fit2Run story: movement and giving back.
Growth continued in 2025 with Fit2Run’s first Georgia location, beginning another chapter of expansion across the Southeast that now includes Tennessee and South Carolina. Today, Fit2Run has grown to 45 stores, with our sights set on 50 and beyond.
Along the way, major race and community partnerships, including St. Pete Run Fest, the Gasparilla Distance Classic, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' She Is Football 5K/10K, have given us even more opportunities to be part of the moments that bring people together through movement.
Inside our stores, we've continued to evolve the way we help every customer find their fit. The Fit2Run Fit Experience combines 3D foot scanning technology, personalized recommendations, and connected customer data to create an experience built around each individual's needs and goals.
From one store to 45, from fitting shoes to helping create entire race experiences, the last 20 years have been about more than growing bigger. They've been about finding more ways to help people move, connect, and keep going.
Then & Now: 20 Years of Running
A lot can change over 20 years, and the running world is no exception. In 2006, tracking your miles might have meant a basic stopwatch or pedometer, running shoes were simpler, and your post-run recovery routine probably started and ended with a good stretch.
Fast forward to 2026, and the way we move has transformed. GPS smartwatches and connected apps track everything from pace and distance to recovery and sleep. Running shoes have evolved with superfoams, higher cushion, carbon plates, and technology designed for nearly every type of runner, walker, workout, and distance. Finding the right shoe has changed too, with 3D foot scans and personalized data adding a new layer to what once came down largely to how a shoe felt on your foot.
The culture around running looks different too. Traditional road races are now joined by social Run Clubs, themed events, community runs, and race weekends that have made running as much about connection as competition. Recovery and wellness have become part of the routine, and running style has had quite the evolution of its own.
Some things from 2006 might look a little different today, but the goal hasn't changed. Find what works for you, lace up, and keep moving.
The Next Mile
Twenty years may be a milestone, but for Fit2Run, it is far from a finish line.
As we look ahead, our focus remains on finding new and better ways to help people move. That means continuing to innovate the Fit2Run Fit Experience, using technology and expertise to make finding the right fit more personal, while making movement feel more accessible to runners, walkers, and anyone ready to take that next step.
It also means continuing to grow alongside the communities that have shaped us. From Run Clubs and race weekends to new stores and local partnerships, we want to create more opportunities for people to move together while staying connected to each community along the way.
We may not know exactly what running will look like 20 years from now. The shoes will change. Technology will evolve. New communities and new ways to move will emerge. But our purpose will remain the same: to help people find their fit, stay active, and keep moving forward.
Twenty years. Countless finish lines. Millions of miles. And we're still running.
Because after 20 years, we're not celebrating how far we've come nearly as much as we're looking forward to where we'll go next.
