Run to Win

Kathy Hepner is closing up shop at Running Dog Sports in Gorham, Maine. I spoke with her yesterday at Mary’s Walk, and she does not get enough traffic through the area. She is going to remain open throughout this month with limited hours, so be sure to call ahead if you had planned on stopping in. She will be working out of the Maine Running Company off of Forest Ave in Portland for the foreseeable future.

Running Dog Sports is a new running shoe specialty store located in Gorham, Maine that opened in May of 2005. I have seen the owner, Kathy Hepner, at many of the local races as both a participant and as a sponsor. She is very actively involved in the community.
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Sportshoe Center is a local chain of athletic stores here in New England. They have locations in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York. They are the principal sponsor for the Maine Marathon in Portland.

I like this store. Their prices are better than MSRP, and fairly average for a “discount” athletic shoe. You usually won’t find the best deal going, but you usually won’t be too far off either. They have a decent selection of clothing and a great shoe selection for multiple sports. They do lack a little when it comes to swimming goggles, however.

I got some stabilicers from them last year, and those were great for winter running. I used to put them on my boots whenever I would walk the streets when it was icy and had great results; they were pretty good for running as well. I still wouldn’t trust them completely but you are much better off on the ice if you are wearing them than if you aren’t.

The staff has always been friendly, and most of them have been knowledgable. In terms of helpfulness, I would say that they are probably around 70-75% or so. (I consider “average” helpfulness 50%).