Big River Running Company, a specialty running retailer located in St. Louis, was recently recognized as one of The 50 Best Running Stores in America by Running Insight and Competitor Magazine. Big River Running was the only St. Louis-based store to be recognized in the Top 50. This is the 10th consecutive year Big River Running has been honored as a top 50 running store in America – every year the retailer has been open.

Big River Running earned the honor following an extensive nomination and review process that rated the store on its customer service, product knowledge, merchandising and community service. All stores are visited by a secret shopper, and this year, Big River was one of only eight stores in the country that earned a perfect secret shopping score.

Big River Running Company was founded by St. Louisan Matt Helbig in 2006. It is locally owned and operates independently with multiple locations in the St. Louis region.

The complete list of The 50 Best Running Stores in America follows:

ALABAMA

Fleet Feet Sports
Huntsville

ARIZONA

Sole Sports
Tempe, Ariz.

Tortoise & Hare
Glendale, Ariz.


ARKANSAS

Rush Running
Bentonville, Ark.


CALIFORNIA

A Snail’s Pace
Brea, Calif.

Fleet Feet Sports
Aptos, Calif.

Fleet Feet Sports
Sacramento, Calif.


CONNECTICUT

Fleet Feet Sports
West Hartford, Conn.


FLORIDA

1st Place Sports
Jacksonville, Fla.

Runner’s Depot
Davie, Fla.

Running Wild
Pensacola, Fla.

Track Shack
Orlando, Fla.


GEORGIA

Game Changers
Richmond Hill, Ga.

West Stride
Atlanta


ILLINOIS

Dick Pond Athletics
St. Charles, Ill.

Fleet Feet Sports
Chicago

Geneva Running Outfitters
Geneva, Ill.

Running Central
Peoria, Ill.


INDIANA

Fleet Feet Sports
Fort Wayne, Ind.

Three Rivers Running
Fort Wayne, Ind.


KANSAS

Manhattan Running Co.
Manhattan


LOUSIANA

Varsity Sports
Baton Rouge, La.


MAINE

Fleet Feet Sports
Portland, Maine


MARYLAND

Fleet Feet Sports
Baltimore, Md.

Charm City Run
Belair, Md.


MASSACHUSETTS

Charles River Running
Norwood, Mass.

New England Running Co.
Beverly, Mass.

Whirlaway
Methuen, Mass.


MICHIGAN

Ann Arbor Running Co. 
Ann Arbor, Mich.

Complete Runner
Flint, Mich.

Hanson’s Running Shop
Grosse Pointe, Mich.


MISSOURI

Big River Running Co.
St. Louis, Mo.

Run 816
Liberty, Mo.

The Running Well Store
Lee’s Summit, Mo.


NEBRASKA

Lincoln Running Co.
Lincoln, Neb.


NEW HAMPSHIRE

Runners Alley
Portsmouth, N.H.


NEW YORK

Fleet Feet Sports
Syracuse, N.Y.

Medved Running and Walking Outfitters
Rochester, N.Y.


NORTH CAROLINA

Bull City Running
Durham, N.C.

Charlotte Running Co.
Charlotte

Run For Your Life
Charlotte


OHIO

Columbus Running Co.
Dublin, Ohio

Dave’s Running
Sylvania, Ohio

Second Sole
Akron, Ohio

Up & Running
Dayton, Ohio


OKLAHOMA

Red Coyote Running & Fitness
Oklahoma City

RELATED: Red Coyote Running & Fitness Named 2015 Running Store of the Year


PENNSYLVANIA

A Running Start
West Reading, Pa.


TENNESSEE

Fleet Feet Sports
Brentwood, Tenn.


TEXAS

iRun Texas
San Antonio, Texas

Luke’s Locker
Dallas, Texas


UTAH

Runner’s Corner
Orem, Utha


VIRGINIA

Fleet Feet Sports
Roanoke, Va.

Potomac River Running
Burke, Va.


WEST VIRGINIA

Two Rivers Treads
Shepherdstown, W.V.


WISCONSIN

Performance Runnning Outfitters
Brookfield, Wis.

Read more at http://running.competitor.com/2016/11/news/the-50-best-running-stores-in-america-for-2016_159449#LKfESjzASy5dAbo1.99