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Running store in Steamboat hopes to start on the right foot

Joshua and Susan Boles are hoping they'll find an eager market with their new running specialty shop in Steamboat Springs, Twisted Trails Running Company. They hope to open for business later this month.
Joel Reichenberger

— There’s a lot to worry about for the husband-wife team of Joshua and Susan Boles as they prepare to open Twisted Trail Running Company, a running specialty shop in Steamboat Springs.

They spent months filling napkins — a makeshift notebook — with ideas of what to stock. They ran through ideas and polled friends on a regular basis trying to decide on a name. And they still are considering what brands to carry.

One thing they’re not worried about is whether or not the town itself will be interested.



“We have a really good, active running community. There’s a big population of runners here, and there are a ton of tourists who come through town and many of them run, as well,” Susan Boles said.

“This is a running town that doesn’t have a running store,” Joshua Boles added.



They hope to open Nov. 28 at 601 Lincoln Ave., between All That and Rocket Fizz on Steamboat’s main drag.

The Boles moved to Routt County in 2013 when they bought the Elk River Guest Ranch in North Routt County. The guest ranch world didn’t prove to be for them, however, and upon selling the property recently, they hurried toward an idea they’ve been germinating for years but were never able to implement.

In Steamboat Springs, they see an active running community. They see a marathon that draws nearly 2,000 runners and the Steamboat Springs Running Series, which draws hundreds of runners for each race in its schedule.

The Boles hope their store becomes an important stop for those runners, locals and otherwise, by being a full-service running shop. 
Which shoes they’ll offer accounts for some of their current quandaries. They want to include big brands, but a selection of smaller ones, as well, and that means plenty of meetings with vendor representatives.

The shop will be more than shoes. The Boles want to include gait analysis, where they get customers on a treadmill and provide video of their running form to help pick the right shoe.

They want to provide nutrition products, equipment such as hydration packs and running packs, GPS-enabled health monitors and running related books and gifts.

They plan to include trail running shoes, but they want to stay away from more typical hiking boots and equipment.

“There are a bunch of runners, and they have to get their equipment somewhere,” Joshua Boles said. “The town supports, what, six bike shops and no running stores?”

The idea is one they’ve been kicking around for a decade, since they met in the Air Force and got married.

The name came from a friend who was a few beers deep.

“There were a lot of napkins on that one,” Susan said. “This one just stuck.”

Now, it’s just about making it happen.

To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 970-871-4253, email jreichenberger@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @JReich9


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