Moving Central Kentucky Forward in 2023

As 2023 comes to a close, we want to give a big thank-you to our customers.

When you buy your shoes, apparel, and more from John’s Run/Walk Shop, you’re not just supporting one local business. You’re allowing us to make a positive impact on Central Kentucky in many other ways.

Here’s what we’ve been able to do this year thanks to your support.

Keeping It Local

You shop local, and so do we. We work to support our fellow local business owners as much as possible so that your dollars can stay here in Kentucky. Here are some of the ways we’ve done that this year.

• Organizing Spike Nights for local high school and college track and cross country teams

• Ordering race shirts from vendors such as 10th Planet in Danville and Francis Screen Printing in Lexington

• Buying Highbridge Spring Water for all of our races and in-store water coolers

• Attending local business health fairs

• Ordering food for events and staff meetings from Lexington businesses such as Bourbon n' Toulouse, Athenian Grill, Donut Days, and North Lime Coffee & Donuts

• Inviting beverage vendors such as Jawn Coffee, Tropical Paradise, and Beans and Brews to in-store events

• Advertising with Smiley Pete Publishing, TOPS in Lex, and Lamar Advertising

• Organizing an Adventure Day at Boone Creek Outdoors

• Securing our stores with Bates Security

When you buy shoes from John’s Run/Walk Shop, you’re supporting a business that invests in Central Kentucky. We’re proud to have put tens of thousands of dollars back into our community in 2023, and we aim to do even more in the coming year.

Races

Through John’s Bluegrass Racing Company, we’ve continued putting on multiple run/walk events throughout the year, raising money for local charities and creating fun opportunities for fitness. Over 1,200 people laced up for great causes in 2023.

Iron Horse Half Marathon & 12K

For 14 years, people have been coming to beautiful Midway, Kentucky to run the Iron Horse before experiencing the Midway Fall Festival. In 2023, we were able to donate $750 to Cops for Kids and $800 to Special Olympics Kentucky.

We couldn’t do it without the support of the wonderful Midway community. And a special shoutout to local artists Cricket Press for once again providing incredible artwork for our race shirts and posters. We’re already looking forward to the 2024 Iron Horse!

Reforest 5K

The Reforest 5K helps raise money to purchase trees for Reforest the Bluegrass. This past April, Reforest the Bluegrass brought 550 volunteers together to plant 7,000 tree seedlings at Hisle Park. With your help, we can continue making Central Kentucky greener at the 2024 Reforest 5K.

Resolution Runs

Every winter, we kick off the new year with a pair of free runs aimed at helping people set and stick with their New Year’s Resolutions. 2023 started with over 100 people running or walking a distance of their choosing in the free “Make It” Resolution Run.

Of course, making a goal is one thing. Maintaining motivation in the long term is where those goals pay off. That’s why we followed up in February with the “Don’t Break It” Resolution Run. These two events are fun traditions that allow us to help local runners and walkers to stick with healthy habits throughout the year.

Leftovers in July / August

We launched a new race series this summer, in which people who missed out on previous races can grab leftover shirts and other giveaway items of their choice. By eliminating that expense, we were able to put $445 into John’s Run/Walk Shop’s newest initiative, the Fast Track Fund. This fund aims to enable young athletes to compete on their high school track or cross country teams, regardless of their financial circumstances. We love running, and we want to make this sport accessible to any young runner who shares our passion.

Cabernet Canter Cross Country 5K/10K

The Cabernet Canter is part of the Beer, Bourbon & Wine Race Series. These events are fun ways of highlighting some of Kentucky’s natural beauty and delicious beverages. Participants ran a unique course through the Talon Wine vineyards and afterward relaxed with wine, live music, and good company. The Cabernet Canter raised money for GreenHouse17, a local advocacy agency committed to ending intimate partner abuse in families and the community.

West Sixth Farm 10K Trail Run

The West Sixth Farm 10K Trail Run supports the Kentucky Mountain Biking Association, which has done tremendous work constructing the trails at the Farm, as well as the Kentucky Resources Council, which works to protect the Commonwealth's natural resources and ensure environmental justice for Kentucky's most vulnerable people and communities.

Environment

In addition to putting on environmentally-focused races such as the Reforest 5K and the West Sixth Farm 10K Trail Run, we at John’s Run/Walk Shop are constantly looking for ways to do our part in protecting the ground we run on.

Products

We’re proud to carry shoes from brands that strive to create their products using more sustainable materials. For example, the Brooks Ghost Max contains 56.4% recycled material in its upper and is a certified CarbonNeutral® product. OluKai uses natural latex in its gum rubbers, 30% recycled material in all outsoles, and 100% recycled material in packaging.

Probably the most environmentally friendly addition to our lineup this year was the Saucony Triumph RFG (Run For Good). This version of the popular Triumph uses plant-based dyes, an 80% natural rubber outsole, and PWRRUN BIO+ cushioning, which is made using 55% corn-based foam to help limit the dependence on plastic.

Practices

At John’s Run/Walk Shop, we believe we can make the biggest impact on our local environment through our everyday business practices. As a Green Check-certified business, we work hard to be as environmentally sustainable as possible.

This year, we took major steps toward increased energy efficiency at our Chevy Chase location. We had a new, substantially more insulated roof installed, and we had our driveway and parking lot repaved. These long-term investments will help us reduce our energy costs for years to come.

Recycling

We’re proud to help make recycling various products more convenient. First, we collect shoes for Sneaker Impact, which allows people to bring in used shoes to be refurbished, reducing waste and creating economic opportunity in developing countries.

This past spring, we participated in Smartwool’s 2nd Cut program, collecting used socks to be up-cycled into new products.

Our stores in Chevy Chase and Palomar Centre also serve as drop-off locations for the city of Lexington’s holiday lights collection drive. This helps keep old lights out of landfills and out of general recycling containers, which can cause delays and damage at the Recycle Center.

Donations

Your support enables us to give back to important local causes. This year, we’ve contributed shoe donations and/or financial support to amazing organizations such as:

• Girls on the Run Central Kentucky

• Dress for Success

• The Lexington Children's Theater

• The University of Kentucky BMI Clinic

• Lexington Habitat ReStore

• Simmons Elementary

• The Thoroughbred Classic 5K

• University of Kentucky Dance Blue

• Tri for Sight

• and more

Appreciation Giveaways

So many people dedicate their lives to helping others in Central Kentucky. We love thanking them for their hard work (and making them a little comfier when they’re on their feet).

This year, we held several shoe giveaways and special discounts to show our appreciation for local doctors, nurses, teachers, emergency responders, mothers, and fathers. It’s our small way of giving back to some of the people who make this community the great place it is.

John’s Striders

Finally, we’ve continued to provide a space in Lexington for people to run with friends … or make new friends!

John’s Striders group runs happen every Tuesday and Thursday evening and Saturday morning, beginning at our Chevy Chase location. We want this group to be as accessible as possible, which is why joining John’s Striders Run/Walk Club is free and open to all ages and paces.

In 2023, Bluegrass Runners, Kentucky’s original running club, was searching for a new location for its Saturday run. We invited BGR to use our store as a new starting location so that Striders and BGRs can run together. The more the merrier!

Stay tuned for details as we look to make John’s Striders even more active and inclusive in 2024.

Looking Forward to the Next 45 Years

Once again, thank you! Whether you shopped at John’s Run/Walk Shop for the first time in 2023 or if you’ve been a loyal customer for any number of our 45 years, we couldn’t do it without you. Your support of this small, local business has not only helped us but has also allowed us to do our part to strengthen the Central Kentucky community. We appreciate each and every one of you and look forward to another great year!