I took my first trip to runners edge back in 2015, when I was training for my first half marathon. I remember being intimidated at the thought of going, so my dad went with me, and we both left with a new pair of sneakers after the kind staff helped us get fitted and select a new pair that would work for each of us.
Ever since then I head to runners edge any time a new model of a shoe I love come out, just to make sure that I’m buying the right shoe for my fit (usually a pair of Brooks ghosts, but I still tend to go there to try them on and make sure!). The employees are always kind and patient as I try on and trot about in several pairs of shoes, before selecting the pair that will come home with me.
They often host runs in conjunction with running brands, that will end with a coffee or beer on Main Street in farmingdale. I don’t get to these events as often as I would like, but it’s always nice to meet other local runners when I do make it!
Last week I got a notification of Strava that they had added a new event – their annual fun run. The post promised raffles, snacks, giveaways, and a 3-6 mile running course, so I messaged some friends and made plans to head there on a Sunday morning. I was pleasantly surprised when my brother Tommy agreed to join us too!
The forecast called for a sunny but chilly morning, with temps in the 20s. I decided to go with a layered outfit – a pair of brooks momentum thermal tights on the bottom, with top layers consisting of a brooks distance short sleeve 3.0, notch thermal long sleeve (with the perfect watch window), and a neon canopy jacket over it all. To go with the neon jacket, I chose my hot pink Ghost max sneakers.
On Sunday morning I made the rounds, picking up Mike, Sophie and Tommy, and then driving us all to farmingdale. We even managed to snag a parking spot behind runners edge, rather than having to head to the parking lot across the street.
When we got to runners edge the store was already crowded. We checked out the vendor tables in the back of the store, and I got a chance to chat with Luke, the local Brooks Guru. Runners edge had a table of freebies, and I was lucky enough to find a pair of biking shorts in my husband’s size, which he was very excited about when I broke them out at home.
We dropped our goodies in the car, right as a runners edge team member climbed a ladder, and shouted over the crowd to explain the run course. There was a 3 mile option and a 5 mile option, and while the roads were open to traffic, there were barricades blocking several roads for us, and local police on the course to help direct traffic. They took a group photo, and then shouted a countdown to get us all going!
Tommy, Sophie and I opted for the 3 mile course, as Tommy revealed he had recently been doing a couch to 5k program, but hadn’t yet run the final 5k – so this was the perfect opportunity to get his miles in! Mike headed out with another friend with the intent of doing the 5 mile course.
I was very glad with the layers that I selected as we started moving, and thankful that I had gloves – my hands were chilly even with them! We crossed the railroad tracks behind runners edge and headed towards bethpage state park, keeping a steady state as we trudged up a mild but steady uphill.
At the 1.5 mile mark we crossed the street and started heading back, a dirt road an option on that side of the street, which was nicer to run on than the road had been. I did wind up pulling off my canopy jacket, and tucking it into the internal pocket that it has, which converts it to a little backpack.
Slowly but surely we made our way back to runners edge, but we had the bad luck of a a train coming just as we approached the train tracks, so we ran parallel to the tracks as we waited for the barricades to raise again, hitting the 5k mark just before the crossover opened again.
We crossed the street and walked the short distance left back to the store. When we got there they had bagels and coffee, and were handing out raffle tickets.
We hung around chatting as we waited for the rest of the runners to return to the store, and listened intently as they called off the raffle winners – they had so many prizes that it took a full 15 minutes to get through them all! Mike won a mystery bag, which contained a hat and some gels.
We headed home once the raffles were done, and all in all it was a fun event. It was nice of runners edge to host this for the community, with no cost to participate, plus some great giveaways! I’m looking forward to participating in more of their events in the future.
