Business & Tech

New Running and Fitness Store to Open in Barrington

Barrington Running Company and Triad Multisport and Fitness will open on Park Avenue this summer.

As you drive by the store at 133 Park Ave., a banner proudly waves in the wind announcing the location’s future tenants. You can hear owners Mark and Leanne Konicek’s smiles over the phone when the husband-and-wife team talk about opening their two businesses under one roof: Barrington Running Company and Triad Multisport and Fitness. The couple is selling the location as a one-stop shop for the endurance athlete.

“We don’t just want this to be a store. We want it to be a place where runners gather. It will become a community center,” Mark Konicek said.

The couple grew up in Barrington, attended Barrington schools, and say they’ve had their hearts in the town for the past 45 years. Barrington seemed like the natural place for them to open their two business ventures. The two separate business entities will complement each other. 

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Barrington Running Company will take up about 2,300 square feet of the 3,300-square-foot store.

“It will be a premiere running store. We’ll offer top-of-the-line shoe products, apparel, nutritional products, GPS watches, and other running accessories,” Mark Konicek said.

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In addition, they’ll offer free video gait analysis to customers. 

“They’ll come in and walk on our treadmill. We’ll videotape their run. Based on what we see mechanically in their run, we’ll make suggestions as to what shoe they should purchase,” he said.

They’ll also have a sophisticated Computrainer machine, which allows athletes to bring their bikes to the shop and ride their bike through a specific course. 

“We’re in an area where you can’t ride six months out of the year,” he said. “If you’re training for a race, you can bring your bike to the store, pop your bike on the machine, and ride the Kona, Hawaii course.”

Before the store opens each morning, the couple plans to offer free yoga classes Monday through Friday. 

“We’ll move the racks off to the side and people can come in every weekday morning for an hour. All free,” Mark said.

They also plan to offer Monday night group runs. 

“We’ll feed them afterwards, have a gathering, and offer free seminars where speakers can talk about different aspects of running,” said Mark.

The second business, Triad Multisport and Fitness, will take up about 1,000 square feet in the store. Under Triad, the Koniceks plan to train customers of all ages and of varying fitness levels. 

“They don’t have to be runners or triathletes,” Mark explained.

The business will offer functional training, which stays away from using isolation machines, but rather includes exercises that mimic everyday movements. The store plans to offer the TRX suspension bands, which the Koniceks are certified to use, battle ropes, kettle bells, and medicine balls (among others) for training. They’ll offer small group sessions and one-on-one training.

The Koniceks are no strangers to the elite fitness industry. Mark has more than 20 years of experience as a coach, trainer, and participant in many elite races around the country including ultra-marathons, the Boston Marathon, and the Ironman race. Leanne is a certified personal trainer and has coached many triathletes. She’s also an accomplished athlete herself, having completed several Ironman competitions and the Chicago Marathon.

Mark is a committee member of the Barrington Honor Run and Ride and has run in the Barrington Fourth of July 5k and 10k races for many years. It’s no mistake their new store sits at the starting line of the Barrington Fourth of July race. 

“We plan to open our doors for the race on July Fourth,, whether we’re ready or not,” said Mark. The couple then plan to officially open Monday, July 9, 2012. Their planned store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Future plans include an e-commerce site and expansion to additional locations.

The Barrington Running Company’s logo carefully was designed with ’s red, black, and white school colors.

“We will get involved with the community,” said Mark. “We want people to understand that we’re not just here to make money. We’re here to changes lives of the people who live in Barrington.”

Their website is in the works, but you can check back often to: www.barringtonrunco.com for any updates.


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