Track buddies get store up and running
Owners of The Big River Running Co. see store as part of running community
 |
| Submitted photo - Matt Helbig, left, and Ben Rosario stand in front of a display of running shoes. |
In high school, Ben Rosario and Matt Helbig competed against each other at St. Louis area track meets. They later attended Truman State University on track scholarships and were roommates as freshmen.
Now, at 28, they're opening a running supply store in the Southampton neighborhood and hope to use it as a center of a running community on the South Side.The Big River Running Co. store the two business partners opened last week at 5352 Devonshire Ave. is the second one they've opened. In August 2006 they opened their first Big River Running Co. store at 14059 Manchester Road in Manchester.
At the new store, as well as the old one, the running enthusiast will find shoes, apparel, water bottles, hats, gloves, watches, sunglasses and anything else they might need for running and walking.
But they'll find more than that, Rosario said.
"Our whole mission has always been more than just a place to buy the shoes. We very much strive to be part of a running and walking community. We try to create that community around our store," Rosario said.
"We want people just to stop in and say hello," Helbig said.
Through its web site, the company offers training guides for people of all ages and abilities, Rosario said.
Training groups organized by the store have been meeting at 8 a.m. every Sunday at places like Forest Park, Creve Coeur Park and Grants Trail to prepare for the St. Louis Marathon April 6.
Now that the store is open, runs are planned at 6 p.m. starting Monday and will be held on every Monday afterwards. A 3-1/2-mile route goes to Francis Park and back. A 6-7 mile route goes to Francis Park then continues to the River Des Peres and back.
"Every customer that comes in here, I'll try to get 'em to join us. Hopefully, we'll have a nice group," Rosario said.
Both Rosario and Helbig caught the running bug early.
Helbig first raced with his father when he was about 7. At Rockwood Summit High School, where he was a state champion in the 800 meters, he competed against Rosario, who ran cross country and track at St. Louis University High School.
After both ran at Truman State, Rosario went to Michigan and joined a professional team called the Hanson's Brooks Team, which is sponsored by Brooks Running Shoes. He ran races and marathons all over the country.
In the U.S. Olympic trials in 2004, he finished 37th, with a time of two hours and 23 minutes. Those who went on to the Olympics had a time of two hours and 11 minutes.
"That's the nice thing about running. Anybody can do it, but there's different levels," Rosario said. A fair time in a marathon is four hours, but Rosario wouldn't want to be out there four hours.
Helbig, who was an All-American in cross country and track at Truman State, went on to acquire his master's degree in health and human performance at Iowa State University, where he was a graduate assistant track coach. Then he went west to lead adventure trips.
"We kind of came back to St. Louis around the same time. We kind of started talking about doing this," said Rosario.
"We both grew up in South St. Louis and we know the metropolitan area pretty well," said Helbig, who lives in Kirkwood and plans to move near the new store.
Rosario, who lives in Shrewsbury and plans to move to the South Side, said the second store was located on the South Side because of the large number of runners already here.
"We did our homework. This is an area that has a fantastic running community," he said.
