The Runners Forum

I’ve been running (if that’s what you call it) for close to a year now, and I was quite shocked to receive a $ 100 gift card to this place for Christmas. I was only vaguely aware of it, having stopped in Broad Ripple to walk around and window shop.
When I came in shortly before the new year, I decided that I’d like a pair of running tights and a utility belt for when I run outdoors, which left me having to pay $ 27 after presenting my gift card, but you get what you pay for, right?
Fast forward to three months later– I get shin splints! Wanting to know what I should do to prevent them on future runs, I decided to sign up for their Good Form Running clinic. The instructor was also the store’s manager Jesse, who took a video of me running along the sidewalk by the store so we could view it and see what I’m doing right and wrong. Come to find that when I strike the ground with my foot, I come down heel first, which is a huge culprit for getting shin splints. With the clinic, I learned that a midfoot strike is the best, and the best way to do so is to keep a cadence of 180 steps per minute. As a thank you, I received a coupon for a $ 20 gift card with a purchase of a shoe and sock combo on my next visit.
Upon my return to the treadmill, I used the techniques I learned and voila! No shin pain. As I’d had my trusty Adidas shoes for about six months, it was time for a change. Knowing that they offer gait analysis, I told the sales clerk Erica that I was in the market for some new kicks. She looked at my old shoes and also the way I walked and ran, and brought out three pairs that would work for me. They all felt great, but I settled on a purple pair by Saucony because they were different from what I was used to (extra cushioning, softer top, etc). Using the coupon I had, I also purchased some wicking socks, and then received my gift card.
Shortly after purchasing, I went out on the Monon trial to test out my new Sauconys on a regular 5K run. They were great! The people at Runners Forum know exactly what they’re talking about and also have running groups and other get togethers for customers.

I found the Runners Forum A-​OK. They don’t carry Nike’s here which is fine but I was looking to replace my Nike Free Run 3’s and one of the suggestions was with the Saucony Kinvara’s. Unfortunately, they didn’t have my size. They did call up to their other location, but they also didn’t have it in stock.
Too bad as the Kinvara’s were a great suggestion! I prefer to purchase local when possible but I didn’t have the option to here.

Not terribly wild about The Runners Forum or the new location. They have been expanding like crazy but there is just not that much in the store that you can’t just buy online.
The staff is either helpful of you may get a sense of elitist snobbery it just depends on who is working.
The new store is in a Prime location on the main corner in Broadripple, couldn’t ask for a better spot unless your trying to park. If you are looking for parking you’d do better biking in as there is rarely parking close by.
All in all I was unpressed by the offerings at the new store :(however they have always been great when it comes to the running community with packet pickups and things of that nature.

I recently made it in here during my search for a new pair of running shoes. This was my first visit to any Runners Forum outside of just going there for a race packet pickup, so the majority of my experience until now as far as running shoe shopping was at Blue Mile, who I assume is their biggest competitor. A recent poor experience at Blue Mile and the fact that they aren’t locally owned anymore is what actually led me to try out the new Runners Forum store, and I think I found a new go-​to place for my running supplies.
As far as this location, it’s hard to beat. I prefer to bike everywhere I can, and this store is very easy to get to off of the Monon Trail or Central Canal Towpath with plenty of bike parking on the sidewalk that runs in front of the building. If you are driving, you should be able to find street parking in the general vicinity, if not right in front of the store. There is a parking lot behind the store, but I don’t know if that is reserved by another business or not. I was actually here before the grand opening so they were still setting up and didn’t have all of their merchandise out, but it looked like a big place with plenty of room to offer everything you would be looking for.
When I walked in I was greeted by the store manager (I think that’s what he said), Jesse. I described to him that I was looking for a new pair of shoes coming off of a running injury and that I needed something with more cushioning than my previous pair, which I brought with me. I could tell that he wasn’t too surprised when I showed him what I was wearing for the past year, and he assured me we could find something better. Inside the store, they have a rubberized track that runs the length of the store. He asked me a few questions, and then had me walk and jog down that track a couple times without shoes on to watch my gait. Blue Mile had always used a treadmill, and I think each has their pros and cons. The treadmill obviously doesn’t accurately mimic normal running, but the track strip in Runners Forum doesn’t allow very much time or distance to get into your normal gait, so I don’t know which one comes out ahead. I felt that the track better represented my actual outdoor running style though. Jesse brought out a few pairs of shoes and had me try each one on both so I could see how they felt and he could watch me run in them. After seeing that, he brought out a couple more and we did the same thing. When I had it narrowed down to a couple pairs, I had one on each foot and was able to compare them at the same time and make a very confident pick for a pair of shoes I wanted to run in.
The biggest things that stood out to me here was the knowledge of the person helping me, the variety of options he had, and the amount of time that he took to help me find the perfect pair of shoes. I left here feeling very confident I was getting a pair of shoes that I will be comfortable in for many miles, and I would highly recommend coming here for any running gear you are looking for. I also asked a few questions regarding some of their products and it was obvious that he either used each of them personally, or knew a ton about it and heard from lots of people who had used it, which was nice to hear instead of just getting the description on the package read back to me. One thing that either wasn’t described to me or isn’t an offer at all is any type of rewards system, which Blue Mile has, or at least had before they got bought out. I was only here for shoes, of which they had a ton of variety from all of the brands you would hope to see, but they also had all the clothing and accessories you could need for running. On top of that, they also carry swimming and cycling gear. Prices for shoes were the same as anywhere else, and most of their gear seemed on par with what I’ve ever seen in other stores.
Aside from this particular store visit, I also got on their website after I was here and found tons of helpful information related to running and triathlons. They offer special events that they sponsor and even have clinics for those trying to improve their running style, so that’s worth checking out too.