Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Beck.
Hi Kathy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My husband started trail running in 2018 and on weekends was his opportunity to complete “long runs” and I wasn’t seeing him much, so I decided I better start running too so we could spend more time together! And what I found out is running together is good, quality time! I soon got to know the trail running community, which is like no other. Everyone is so nice, so supportive and so helpful. Everyone wants to see everyone succeed and reach their goals. We all back each other. I have never been part of a community like this, it’s so fun, so challenging and so inclusive. My husband helped me achieve my goal and in 2022 I ran my 1st 50 mile race. It was a major accomplishment for me, someone who never considered themselves a runner. My husband and I love to support our friends and began crewing and pacing many of them in races. On one such occasion in 2020 we paced a friend on a self-supported 100 miler. My husband was chatting with him about his job, goals and it came out that his dream was to manage a running store (lots of good talks happen on the trail). We live in Lakeside, which is right on Northshore with over 22 miles of trails so my husband said “what do you think if we opened a store in Lakeside?” And our friend, Drew Flowers said “let’s do it!” And that’s how it all started. We spoke to our good friends Todd and Jill Hawkins who became our business partners and 2 years of planning and finishing out the store and we opened in December of 2022. Drew is the general manager and we have grown an amazing community together, which was the #1 goal. We have lots of events, including weekly events which include Dirt Church on Sundays at 9am. We have around 50-60 people a week attend Dirt Church and we are all inclusive- weather you want to hike or run fast, we support and do it all! We also have free runner’s yoga on Monday nights, which I teach, along with another yoga teacher that is a good friend. We have 8-20 people on any given Monday night. And just recently we started a Women’s trail running group that is meeting once a month and our 1st run was Aug 23rd and we had a great turn out with about 40 ladies! We had a blast! The stores main focus is trail running so we have a large variety of trail running shoes, many brands and styles you won’t find anywhere else. We do offer a good variety of road shoes as well. Along with great athletic wear for women and men. We also carry socks, Coros GPS watches, goodr sunglasses, nutrition, hydration vests, handhelds, trekking poles, headlamps and lighting, branded clothing and more! When you come in you get a true shoe fitting experience. All the staff are our friends and runners who know all about shoes and the gear. We are so fortunate to surrounded by so many wonderful people. We are continuing to grow and new people are still finding us! We are very proud to be voted one of the Best Running Stores in 2025, out of over 900 stores 65 stores were selected. It’s all very exciting because we really love running and the community!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Retail is difficult in these times, definitely opening a brick and mortar store was a huge risk as more and more people are shopping online, but we know that community is important and a much needed aspect in our lives and . others, especially after covid. Opening a new store is very scary in terms of will it work, will people come? But with all the amazing staff we have and hard work we all put it in, it has gone very well.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Trailhead Running Supply?
We are not only a running store but a trail running store, which is a niche within a niche! Our main focus is on trail running and many vendors looked at us funny and we had to really prove ourselves to some so that we could carry thier brand. We have the largest selection of trail running shoes anywhere in the US. We have several brands no other stores carry. We carry Hoka, Brooks, OnCloud, Nnormal, Norda, Topo, Altra, Mount to Coast, Salamon, The North Face, La Sportiva, Speedland and more! We also carry everyday walking around shoes from Brooks, On Cloud and others for everyday life and those who enjoy a good hike, so we are a store not just for runners! We have great running clothes/workout clothes from brands like Patagonia, Rabbit, The North Face, OIselle, Vander Jacket that are favorites for women and for men we also have Patagonia, Rabbit, the North Face and Roark that are mens favorites. We have accesories including trekking poles- the brand Leki is a favorite, we also carry black diamond. Hats, we have so many hats, one of the favorites is Alter Ego. We have everything you need to stay hydrated- the Nathan brand is what I always carry with me, we carry several other brands as well.. We have many brands of hydration vests and waist packs including Nathan, Ultraspire, Salomon, On, The North Face and Naked Sports Innovations. We have great socks. Many people don’t know a good pair of socks can keep you from getting a blister! We carry swiftwick and injinji. Our Goodr sunglasses are crowd favorite as well. We have easy grab and go nutrition and electrolytes. Many runners stop by and grab a gel and fill up their water bottles or bladders from our water and ice machine station before heading out for a run! We love this and want the community to come by, hang around and tell us about thier lives and adventures.
What really sets up apart is our staff. All seasoned runners and well versed on all our shoes and brands. Anyone who walks in will get top notch service with a true shoe fitting experience. They don’t just know the brands, they wear them, test them and know ALL about them! They will guide you to the best shoe for you!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Trail running is all about taking risks. Doing something you have never done, whether it be a new distance or maybe a challenging elevation. So we are very familiar with risk taking and encourage it! Trail runners will always try to talk you into a new challenge (with risks you never even considered). We took a big risk opening the store and so far we are seeing the reward. Without risk, there is no reward. So our view is GO FOR IT!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://trailheadrunningsupply.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trailheadrunningsupply/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trailheadrunningsupply
Image Credits
I sent many pics and thought you guys could pic out which ones you wanted to use!
