Opening Up Recreation

Blue Ox Running Ready for the Retail Race

Brendon Paucek |

Eau Claire should having you jumping for joy. Blue Ox Running, to be located at 417 S. Barstow St., will be a running specialty store owned and operated by Adam and Alicia Condit, two lifelong runners. The Condits met in Eau Claire, where they both attended UW-Eau Claire and ran for the university’s cross country team. Although that was more than a decade ago, their passion for running has hasn’t faded; they continue to compete in races of all distances. Even more, Adam and Alicia have realized the shared excitement of bringing a community together, which is one of their primary goals for their new business. The running community in Eau Claire has been booming lately. The Eau Claire Marathon has become a premier event in the region, and local races such as the Water Street Mile and RCU Charity Classic bring about stampedes of jogging fun. Local teams and clubs are continuously out-striding competitors in Wisconsin and nationwide, and the tech company FitBit recently named Eau Claire one of the fittest cities in America. At Blue Ox Running, runners, walkers, and anyone who spends time on their feet will be able to interact and be outfitted with the right shoes to stay comfortable and healthy. The store will also have a large variety of specialty products for runners and fitness enthusiasts that can’t ordinarily be found at department stores. The Condits and their family are in the process of moving from Iowa; however, they anticipate opening the store in October. Check out their website (blueoxrunning.com) and Facebook page (Facebook.com/BlueOxRunning/) to follow their progress and the transformation of their store.