• Another vendor event •
[1½ MIN READ]
4/22/2026, 6:30 p.m., Jenkintown Running Company (Google Maps). The store has hosted shoe vendors in the past, but since my start with the Growlers Group Run (before we even called it that) in 2012, there have only been 2 coordinated with our regular Wednesday night activity (iCandybyWangC.com and elsewhere unless otherwise stated). Asics came in late 2024 and Saucony came in late 2025. Make that 3 vendors as of 04’22’W (in my peculiar syntax).
These events allow us to learn about the different products individual brands have to offer. They’re particularly useful if a runner has gotten accustomed to one brand’s model. Manufacturers respond to runner wants and industry trends to design their products. This means they’re converging on similar designs and features. So, if a runner has settled on one shoe by one manufacturer, they may be quite unaware that another manufacturer has a model that might suit them at least as well or even better.
There’s another reason for checking out other brands and models. Shoe manufacturing may well be as competitive as auto manufacturing. (Both certainly keep us moving.) Sometimes the goal to get or stay ahead means shoes are constantly evolving, too. I’ve talked to many runners who have loved one particular incarnation so much that when the lastest version evolves past what they love, they go online and keep buying from the after market. Evaluating shoes across manufacturers can be one solution to finding another favorite.
Mizuno coming to JRC allows runners the opportunity to learn about their shoes and actually try them out in road conditions. Vendors will bring shoes of multiple sizes and models for runners to evaluate. Pretty, uh, handy.
AND, it’s often not a stretch to expect pizza or some other noshable. Maybe tasty, too. See you at JRC in 4 weeks (RunORC.com).
–CtCloser (Calvinthe), “Negative split or positive splat” #dothedue
FINE PRINT ¶Text and photos (unless otherwise stated): Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (CreativeCommons.org). ¶Cross-posted: (1) Facebook JRC Growlers Group Run (2026’04’01’W Run Message), (2) GGR email list, (3) Cerebruns by CtCloser. ¶This website posting: Cerebrun with added caption and enumeration.
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