Marathon Sports

This has been my go to store for running shoes for at least 25 years. The staff are runners and are well trained to analyze your gait and help you make the correct choice. They have a treadmill so you can try out options under realistic conditions. Every time I have bought shoes at Marathon, I have been presented with at least four options in brands that fit my style of walking (my running days are over due to age and injuries). It is vitally important to have the correct shoes for exercise and I have always found them at Marathon Sports

Great store with awesome and very knowledgable staff about running and their products. If you are not sure about something just ask they will steer you in the right direction. They even have a treadmill to test things on. I always buy my shoes and gear here. They even have a running group every Tuesday evening. Check this place out!

Great Location, friendly and attentive staff. I’d much rather take my business to this local and charming establishment where the employees really care about consumers and know what they’re doing than a large chain where I am just a number.

This store is the best. I’ve been buying my running shoes here for the last few years now, and I can’t say enough good things about it.
Weekends tend to be really busy, so if you need extra help, go on a weekday morning. You can definitely still find someone when it’s busy, but it feels much less rushed when they’re not swamped with people.
I’ve had nothing but excellent customer service here. The staff has always taken the time to examine my old shoes for wear patterns, let me hop on the treadmill in the back to try a new pair out and always make sure the new pair fits properly (even if it’s the same shoe I’ve previously worn). They all know each shoe really well too, and are more than happy to bring me multiple pairs to try. And so freaking nice and friendly ALL THE TIME!
Thanks, Marathon Sports for being awesome. I’ll see you in another 600 miles if not before.

This is my #1 resource for running shoes and apparel. I am a newly-​minted running nut (as of 2013) and I make sure Marathon Sports gets my business first. Their shoe selection is outstanding and they helped me find the perfect pair (Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13… I’ve bought two pairs there already and I plan to get the 14s from there this spring). They also stock a good deal of apparel, gear, and local running resources.
**Note, I am a bigger guy and they worked with me to find a pair that I feel like I can run forever in. Excellent customer service with knowledgeable employees!
**The only reason I don’t give a 5-​star review is that I am not a Marathon Sports shopper exclusively.

Hands-​down best place to buy a pair of running shoes in the Minneapolis, IMHO. They will check your gait and listen to all your injury woes and provide suggestions for proper training. They will even let you try the shoes on the pavement OUTSIDE.
Unlike those mall stores, they won’t let you buy a shoe for the way it looks, as tempting as that is. They understand the importance of fit and what shoes work best for what gait.
I remember coming here as a teen in CC for their guidance and expertise (or it could have been Run N’ Fun in St. Paul — also great). Either way, 20+ (eek!) years later, it’s now the place I take my adolescent/​adult kids to get their running shoes. The older one — an avid fitness jogger — specifically made a point to ask that we squeeze in a visit to this shop for a pair of new kicks on his very brief stint home from college.
We capped off our visit with a walk through Broders’ to-​go (just for the visual stimulation) and a Bagel across the street at Bruegger’s.

I like Marathon Sports better than any other running store in the city. Not only do they support local running events, have free medical clinics on some Tuesday nights, and a good selection of shoes, the staff is pretty knowledgeable. I have encountered varying levels of expertise on the shoes… but have had better experiences overall here than other running stores. Plus grab a pasta next door to fuel up your run!

I am a huge supporter of local Southwest Minneapolis stores and based on the favorable reviews on this site, I was excited to go pick up some new running shoes today. After 20 minutes in the store, I left without any shoes and really surprised that this store has received such positive reviews. I was helped after 5 minutes of standing around and then ignored while the salesperson helped another customer and the other handful of sales people ate bagels and talked among themselves. This is the opposite of good customer service. It was an incredibly disappointing experience and I wouldn’t go back.

I really enjoyed my Marathon Sports experience. I had been running all summer in a very old pair of tennis shoes, and luckily had not injured myself. I knew as I started adding on more and more miles I would need a pair of serious running kicks. I solicited the opinions of my running friends, and pretty much all of them pointed me towards Marathon.
I really like this store, it is a large space so you do not feel cramped and have some room to really walk around in the shoes you are looking at, or heck even jog around. The staff is super friendly and helpful. The lady who helped me had me walk a bit to see how I moved (heel-​striker and I tend to roll to the outsides of my feet). She brought out about 4 different kids of shoes. I tried them on and walked around and jogged a bit.
The woman who helped me offered honest feedback on each of the shoes, which was nice, since I, obviously, do not know much about the various brands. Also this shop did not feel like a insiders club (some running stores seem like they cater to the hardcore).
As for what I bought. The shoes were ten dollars cheaper than the price tag on them (unexpected sale, that is a real bonus). When I took them out for my first run in them it was amazing! I felt way better than I had on my previous shoes. I was able to bust out a fast 9 miles with no pain.

I went to Marathon Sports today in search of new running shoes and someone who would analyze my gait to help me get the most appropriate shoes. I’m hoping to get back into running so I thought I should start right. Marathon Sports couldn’t have been more helpful! John helped me and he was very patient and informative about the different shoes. They also had me run outside on the sidewalk to see what felt best and this really made a difference, I haven’t encountered many places that encourage you to take shoes outside for a test drive! Also, they’re not pushy or trying to get you to buy the most expensive shoe. I didn’t ask price and he didn’t tell me until I picked which ones I liked best, they turned out to be the cheapest of all the shoes I had tried on! It was nice to not have any pressure or feel like they just wanted to sell something. Finally, as a new customer if you give them your name you get 20% off. I’ll definitely go back in the future and will refer my family and friends here.

Good place to check out running shoes. Parking can be tricky depending on what time of the day you go. Customer service has either been very good or very meh in my experiences. I’d definitely rather support this shop than a huge retailer, though.

This is not a big box athletic store. The staff here takes the time to get to know your sports needs, specifically those related to running, and help you based upon that.
I went in to get my first pair of real running shoes and had a great experience! One member of the staff, a woman whose name I forget :(, was extremely helpful. She assessed my gait to see what sort of support I needed and brought out assortments of shoes for me to try. She helped me determine the correct size and cut (who knew shoes could all be so different?!) so I could be sure my shoe would be comfortable and fulfill my needs. She also showed me how to lace one of my shoes to help keep my «skinnier» heel in place.
The shoes I ended up with are not only functional, but they are cute AND competitively priced. No disappointments here! I will most certainly make the trip to Marathon Sports for any of my future running needs!

This is the best running store I’ve been to. I came in, was quickly greeted, my gait was watched, and 6 pairs of shoes were brought out for me to try on. I found a great pair, was able to donate my old pair to the homeless, and received 20% off for signing up for their mailing list.

Being a recovering fatty, up until this point I’ve gone through life with the understanding that running was reserved only for chasing down the ice cream truck and evading the fuzz.
Recently my employer sponsored a 5k and I ran it to sumplement my new healthy lifestyle and to see if I still had it after running in one 13 years ago as a senior in high school. Well, I finished it and loved it. The only problem was my 9 year old New Balance that I got off a discount rack at JC Penney.
Here is where Marathon Sports come in. I did some research online to find a shoe store that didn’t have the words JC or Penney in it. I arrived at Marathon and was immediately greeted and assisted in my quest for new kicks. The sales person had me prance around the store to analyze my pimp limp.
From this she brought out some suggested shoes. I tried each on and resumed my pimp limp in each. They also have a treadmill to take them for a test drive. I’m amazed at the difference a good pair of shoes makes. It was like running on little pillows made just for my footsies.
The best part was when I signed up for their email list I became a member and now receieve 20% off all purchases in the future. This will come in handy when I go back in to get some sexy man tights to accentuate my privates for winter running.

OK, if anyone from Marathon Sports sees this, please know that you changed my life. I am hell-​bent on buying from independent running stores, but I spent years and years buying every brand of running shoe on the market and suffering from every running injury known to man.
In a moment of sheer genius, I went to Marathon Sports where they made me actually get my butt on a treadmill and watched me run, and told me I was buying the wrong kind of shoes. I whined but I listened, and three years later I’m on my 9^th pair of the same exact shoe (and the only reason I have gone through so many is because they were soooo right on on the type I needed that I now run 50 – 60 miles a week, injury-​free, and I am on my 10^th full marathon so I keep putting 500 miles on the shoes and having to buy new ones!!)
I love you, Marathon Sports. Love, love, love. Love, love. And one more love.

Its staff is very helpful in providing advice on choosing the right shoe based on running style. Price was fair and I will go there for future running shoe purchases. It has a great assortment of running gear as well i.e. shorts, socks, running watches.