Slingin' Shoes

Mark Sullivan & Chris Farley
  • 5.0 (5)
  • RUNNING

Lively discussions about the run specialty business. 

  1. 8H AGO

    Columbus Running Co. Puts the C in Community

    Eric Fruth, co-owner of Columbus Running Company, shares his three-leg stool philosophy: Retail, Races and Social and Training programs, and how they work together to drive business in his six stores.  Eric also discusses CRC's innovative Grasshopper youth running club program and how it builds customers of the future and boosts the store's youth footwear sales. A great start to 2026!

    32 min

  2. 12/09/2025

    Episode Twelve: Live from San Antonio

    Captured live at The Running Event, we sit with Tom Taylor of Altra, who discusses how his brand comes to market at retail. Camila Siqueira from SportBrazil talks about how TRE helped her and her same named sister-in-law build their business. And Adam White of RC Outfitters in Peoria shares his very personal story of how he overcame his struggles with alcohol and regain control of his business and his life.

    44 min

  3. 11/25/2025

    Episode Eleven: TRE Tips, Diversity in Action and Our Fastest Guest To Date

    Co-Host Chris Farley of Pacers shares his top 5 tips for getting the most out of TRE and some of them will surprise you. Elle Cheung of Gazelle Sports, winner of a Running Industry Diversity Coalition Scholarship to TRE, discusses how her store translates DEI philosophies into action. And Stephen Pifer of Skechers reflects on his 20-year career in the running business and his goal of running a sub-four minute mile in the same race as his son Jameson.

    46 min

  4. 11/11/2025

    Episode Ten: Family Ties

    Family connections run through Episode 10 of Slingin’ Shoes which features interviews with Genie Beaver of West Stride in Atlanta and one of the founders of Altra, Brian Beckstead who remains an ambassador for the brand. Genie has a powerful connection to the running business through her uncle John McDonnell, who coached the University of Arkansas to 40 national titles and shares the story of attending her first TRE with a six-week-old baby. She also name drops the many women who have been supportive of her as she has built her business: Barbara Gubbins, Cathy Puglsey, Lea Gallardo, and Rebecca Hohenstein. Brian Beckstead discusses the early days of Altra and how the brand is staying true to its specialty roots under the ownership of VF Corp. Genie and Brian both respond to the question from co-host Chris Farley, who asks “Would you encourage your children to get into the run business?” Well, would you? Tune into episode 10 for a thought-provoking conversation.

    58 min

  5. 10/28/2025

    Episode Nine: Wild about Harry, Sneakers4Good and Rally Shoes

    Hear the story of how slinging bottles of Black Velvet in 7-11 led to Harry Chandler joining the run specialty business and ascending to leadership roles at Charlotte Running Company, the Running Industry Association, and the Running Industry Diversity Coalition. Harry also talks about the Charlotte Run Hub and how it serves his store’s community. We’re also joined by Kristy Morris of Sneakers4Good, who shares information on how run stores can work with her business to support its’ efforts in 20+ countries. And Mark and Chris discuss The Rally Shoe in Seattle.

    45 min

  6. 10/21/2025 · BONUS

    Slingin' Shoes Episode Eight Under

    Episode 8 Under is a special golf celebration where we discuss The Skechers World Champions Cup, an international team competition featuring senior golfers from Europe, Asia and the United States.  Our guests include PGA Golfer Peter Jacobsen, sports marketing executive Charlie Besser, the founder of Intersport, and Ben Stewart, VP of Performance Footwear at Skechers. Jake Morrow of Golf magazine helps with co-hosting duties. Jacobsen talks about his career as a golfer, the lead singer of Jake Trout and the Flounders and the role he’ll play at the Skechers World Champions Cup in December. Besser discusses how the idea was developed, and Stewart sheds some light on the role golf footwear plays in Skechers’ growing performance portfolio.

    42 min

  7. 10/14/2025

    Slingin' Shoes Episode Eight: Growing the Pie

    How much bigger can run specialty get? We entertain two points of view. Industry analyst Matt Powell of Spurwink River caused a ruckus recently with comments on LinkedIn saying the run channel was not growing because it caters only to “elites.” Co-hosts Chris Farley and Mark Sullivan press Powell on what he really meant and discuss why the channel’s growth has slowed after a decade of robust expansion. Our sponsor guest all the way from Japan is Koichiro Kodama, CEO of ASICS America. Kodoma-san talks about his life traveling between two continents, his love of specialty retailers and how he believes ASICS can help grow the pie for run stores.

    53 min

  8. 09/30/2025

    Slingin' Shoes Episode Seven - An Accidental Entrepreneur, a Shoe Lifer and a former teacher walk into a Podcast

    On this episode, Christi Beth Adams of Fleet Feet Nashville shares her journey from employee to owner of six stores. She takes us through the tears and triumphs of her 19 years in the business and talks about what could be next for her. We are also joined by Matt Baum of Mizuno, who may manage the biggest sales region in the country. Matt pulls back the curtain on what he’s hearing as he visits stores around the country and offers his insight on what stores should expect from sales reps.  And our slinger of the week, Eli Reed of Columbus Running Co. talks about how confidence may be the most important item he sells in his store.

    55 min
See All (15)

Trailer

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Lively discussions about the run specialty business. 

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Sullivan & Chris Farley
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Slingin' Shoes
  • Show Website
    Slingin' Shoes

You Might Also Like