Barrington Running Co. is well known for it’s high-end running, triathlon, yoga and fitness gear and apparel, but owners Mark and Leanne Konicek have created so much more than a retail space right in the heart of Barrington. With a fitness area in the back of the store and years worth of experience in running, triathlon and personal training, they’re providing a meeting place for people who want to be healthy, get fit, stay motivated and join others from the community who share those goals.
Both Mark and Leanne are long-time personal trainers and triathlon coaches with strong ties to Barrington. Leanne, a lifelong swimmer, grew up in Tower Lakes and graduated from Barrington High School. Mark, who loves running, grew up in Barrington Hills and his family has lived here for the past 45 years. “I love the community. I love the downtown. Our store is in the space where the old Ben Franklin used to be when I was a kid.”
And they’re getting ready so celebrate the store’s one year anniversary in Barrington this July. “Everyone here knows each other and we have people who walk in the door just to say hello. That’s what I love about this town.”
The Koniceks say they built the business to be a local hub for running, exercise, training, nutrition advice and all the motivation and gear you’ll need to reach your health and fitness goals. Whether you’re a runner, walker, endurance or recreational athlete, their goal at Barrinton Running Co. is to offer you just the right fit for your needs. “We’re not just a running store, we’re a destination place for the community.”
“We want everyone to know that we’re here for them and we don’t just sell shoes. We’re building a business based on trust and integrity and we won’t sell you anything if you don’t need it ”
“We believe in the wholeness of the body and we want to educate people that you need to take care of yourself, beyond the running, with strength training, stretching and nutrition. It all goes hand in hand.”
For a taste of the range of services offered at Barrington Running Company, we broke it down to five great ways to get fit right there in their store:
1. New Mom’s Group Nutrition & Training
Barrington Running Co. is introducing a new moms group to help moms with young kids handle the stress of managing children with a healthy diet and exercise. They’re teaming up with Registered Dietitian, Christina Fitzgerald, to help new moms get their body back through a fun, results-based workout and nutrition program. The group meets twice weekly for two 30 minute workouts plus one 30 minute session about diet & nutrition.
Registered Dietitian, Christina Fitzgerald, MS, RD, LDN, who has three young boys of her own, says, “I think a lot of moms fall into the habit where you get so busy taking care of the kids, you forget to eat, you put the kids nutrition first and then your own needs are falling by the wayside. We’ll talk about realistic ways you can eat more healthy foods throughout the day and cover basic nutrition that I think a lot of us forget, as moms, in the chaos of our normal day and in the frustration of trying to lose weight.”
2. Zumba Dance Fitness Classes
Starting THIS WEEK, Barrington Running Co. will be offering Zumba classes in their store led by Zumba fitness instructor, Nikki Faul. Zumba classes feature exotic rhythms set to high-energy Latin and international beats. They says it’s a great way to “lose yourself in the music and find yourself in shape with a workout that’s easy to do, effective and totally exhilarating!”
They’re offering FREE ZUMBA CLASSES AT 9:30 a.m. on May 30th and June 1st and at 6:45 p.m. on June 3rd & 5th. **please call to reserve** The first 8-week session beginning the week of June 9th.
3. Triad Boot Camps
To help clients commit to getting fit, outside of store hours, Barrington Running Co. offers 60 minute Triad Boot Camp Classes at 5:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Leanne says, “You’re definitely going to get a good workout. We have three rows of exercises and five exercises in each row and you go through each of them four times. You’ll increase your physical, core, and cardiovascular strength along with balance and range of motion with this high intensity full body workout. Your clothes will feel looser and you’ll have more energy.”
4. Saturday Morning Group Fun Runs
Barrington Running Co. regularly hosts group “Fun Runs” on Saturday mornings. They often start these runs at the store or meet at places like Barrington High School and offer these runs to bring people together to run as a group on routes they’ve mapped out in Barrington. To follow their scheduled Fun Runs, check out their calendar of events at BarringtonRunCo.com/events.
5. Shoes, Apparel and Gear
Barrington Running Co. offers shoes and gear for all areas of running, triathlon and walking, including lines like Craft, Karhu, Brooks, Mizuno, New Balance, Saucony, Inov8, 2XU, NorthFace, C-WX, K-Swiss and Newton.
Plus, you’ll find sports and fitness products such as GPS watches, nutritional products, socks … and much more!
They also provide a FREE VIDEO GAIT ANALYSIS to help fit the athlete in the proper shoe based on the bio mechanics of their run form (neutral, stability or motion control shoe). And Leann says they can speak, from experience, about the quality of their merchandise. “We’ve worked and raced in the clothes and triathlon apparel so we know you’ll be pleased with what we offer.”
Mark and Leanne Konicek also offer private personal training sessions and can be reached by calling Barrington Running Co. at 847-702-7867 (RUNR). They often post updates to their Facebook page, which you’ll find at Facebook.com/BarringtonRunCo and you’ll find the full list of their products and services, store hours and more on their website at BarringtonRunCo.com. And you’ll find Barrington Running Co. at 133 Park Avenue in Barrington.
We’re excited to welcome Barrington Running Co. as the newest member to join our Barrington Online Marketplace…
For more information about the business, CLICK HERE to visit the Barrington Running Co. profile page that we just published in our Barrington Online Marketplace here at 365Barrington.com.
To peruse all of our existing Marketplace member features, visit 365Barrington.com/Marketplace. To follow the latest members to join our Marketplace, visit 365Barrington.com/Buzz. And if you’d like to become a featured member of our Marketplace, visit 365Barrington.com/advertise.
