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Business & Tech

Running Store Celebrates 20 Years With 5K Run

Keith and Kevin Hanson, owners of Hansons Running Shop and mentors to Olympic athletes, feel right at home sharing their love of running with the Utica community.

While some runners leave their footprints behind on the pavement, others make their mark on the sport in a different way.

For Keith and Kevin Hanson, a shared dream of opening their own running store would someday become a reality, and on Saturday the shop owners celebrated 20 years of success with a 5K run in honor of their great friend, Bill Roney.

, located in Utica, serves the sole purpose of bringing those who love running together. Whether you are new to the sport, just searching for a shoe that fits properly or an advanced runner looking for different techniques to improve speed, the shop will work one-on-one to fit your needs.

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Former runners at Oakland University and Michigan State University, respectively, Kevin and Keith learned at a young age what it takes to be successful at what they’re most passionate about. That passion would later translate into what can only be described as the Hanson’s legacy.

“We knew as we got older that there was a need for a running shop here in Macomb County,” said Kevin, who along with Keith, opened their first running store in Sterling Heights in the fall of 1991.

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Six years later, when their lease expired, the store relocated to Utica off of the recently constructed M-59.

 “We saw this location right here in Utica and it has been such a great community to work with,” said Kevin. “It’s such a great town to be a part of and we really like it here.”

In the past 20 years, Hansons Running Shop expanded to three other locations: Royal Oak, Grosse Pointe and Lake Orion.

Among their ever-growing list of achievements, the brothers are nationally recognized for their Hansons-Brooks Distance Project. Partnering with Brooks Running Inc., this Olympic development program brings newly graduated college students to Metro Detroit for elite-marathon training. Those in the project move to one of three nearby homes owned by Hansons, while they divide their time between their training and working at one of the stores.

“Coming out of college, it was always my dream to come to this area and train with Keith and Kevin,” said Sage Canaday, an Oregon native and current participant in the project. “They live and breathe running and they instill those values on the team in their coaching.”

The project has trained a number of professional runners, most recently Brian Sell who finished third in the Olympic Marathon Trials in New York and went on to advance to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In addition, the brothers are often featured on the pages of the U.S.-based Runner’s World magazine, chosen as guest speakers for races such as the Disney World marathon and serve as members of highly-recognized panels where they spread their beliefs on fitness.

 Despite all of this success, the brothers are as humble as ever and believe that interacting with customers on a personal basis is the biggest appreciation of all.

“It’s so enjoyable to see people come in who might not be so active and want to change their life,” said Keith. “It’s neat to be able to put them on the right path and then later hear reports back from them on how they feel so much better now and knowing we were a part of it.”

Through their weekly group runs held at the store, training classes for the correct footwork or sponsoring neighborhood races, such as Saturday’s 20th Anniversary of the Bill Roney Memorial 5K Run, the Hansons are proud to call Utica their home.

Future plans for the store include an expansion into the vacant space next door—doubling the size to almost 4,000 square feet.

in Utica is located at 8409 Hall Road, just east of Van Dyke. The store is open 7 days a week. To find out more information, visit the Hansons website or call (586) 323-9683.

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