The Pacers Story

Pacers Running Stores is a family owned and operated running and walking specialty retailer in the greater Washington DC area. Our current retail locations include: Old Town, Alexandria (1301 King Street), Clarendon, Arlington (3100 Clarendon Boulevard), Pentagon Row, Arlington (1101 South Joyce Street), Downtown Silver Spring (8535 Fenton Street), and Old Town, Fairfax (10427 North Street). We are scheduled to open up our 6th store, which will be located in the Logan Circle district of Washington D.C., during the summer of 2010.

Our flagship location, Pacers Alexandria, has been in business since 1991 and was acquired by the Farley family in 2003. Pacers Arlington opened in December 2005 followed by Pacers Silver Spring in July 2007, Pacers Fairfax in April 2008, and Pacers Pentagon Row (formerly Gotta Run) in August 2009.

We are considered experts in the field of running and have developed a strong following among area runners and fitness enthusiasts over the past 18 years. Senior management members are frequent speakers at large events like the Marine Corps Marathon. We provide only the best in running and walking shoes, apparel, and accessories and pride ourselves on our customer service, including our custom fit process, and involvement in our local community.

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What We Stand For

The mission of Pacers Running Stores is to be the leading running and walking specialty operation in the greater Washington DC area and to make a positive and lasting impact on our customers, our community, and the sport of running.

Our Values

Service: We support our customers through superior service in a welcoming environment. We enrich the lives of our customers through concerned listening, product knowledge, and support of their individual fitness goals.

Teamwork: We know that to be great, we must work together. We make sacrifices for the common good, are flexible and committed, communicate openly and effectively, and rejoice in our accomplishments.

Outreach: We are a socially responsible business committed to the well being of our community. We believe in the charitable giving of our time and resources to deserving organizations and initiatives. Since 2003, Pacers Running Stores-through our customers, employees, and partners- has raised over $500,000 for local, regional, and national charities.

Meet the Farley Family

Top: Chris Sr, Chris, Brian   Bottom: Adrian, Denise, John

Brand Strength

Pacers Running Stores is one of the most recognized running specialty brands in the greater Washington DC area. We have accomplished brand dominance through our in-store events, road races, fun runs, and training groups, among other activities.

Pacers Events, a sister corporation to Pacers Running Stores, owns, operates, and/or manages several road races a year with a combined registration toping 35,000 runners a year. Our marquee event, the George Washington Parkway Classic 10 Miler & 5K, sells out at 7,000 participants each year. We also host a multitude of events in Arlington, including the Pacers Running Festival Half Marathon & 5K. We host more road race events than all of the greater DC running specialty retailers combined and are the second largest road race management company in the area.

We have a highly respected racing team made up of regional and national elite athletes. Our racing team and training programs are led by running legend and nationally recognized coach, Matt Centrowitz. Coach Matt is a two-time Olympian and five time national title holder. Our racing team competes weekly at local events and serves as ambassadors to our brand. Our racing team members have competed at the U.S. Olympic Marathon and Track & Field Trials. Currently, a member of our team is representing TEAM USA at the World Championship in Berlin in the 5,000 meter track event.

We also host over two dozen runs a week throughout the greater DC area with nearly 700 runners participating in Pacers organized training runs every week.

Support of the Community

We serve as a meeting place for runners. We provide twice weekly complimentary fun run groups from all of our locations. These runs are lead by staff members and community members and are social in nature. February also kicked off our spring coached training program, an intensive coaching program focused on individualized training in a supportive group setting for all levels of runners and fitness enthusiasts.

We provide discounts to certain groups and/or populations including: high school athletes, Police, Fire, EMS, select running clubs and gym members, and active military.

Cultivating and maintaining community relations is important to us. We raise money for several organizations every year, including the National Kidney Foundation, Boys & Girls Club, YMCA Arlington, Fairfax Police Youth Club, The Nature Conservancy, among other. For a list of our partners, please visit our COMMUNITY EVENTS page.

We have been honored with prestigious local, regional, and national awards, including:

2007 national Independent Running Retailers Association Community Service Award
Good Neighbor Award from the Alexandria Chapter of the American Red Cross
Best New Business award from the Arlington Chamber of Commerce
Best New Business award from the Fairfax City Chamber of Commerce
Commendation by the Mayor and City Council of the City of Alexandria for our service to the community
Friend of the Club Award: Boys & Girls Club – Alexandria-Olympic Branch
50 Best Running Store as selected by Running Network