Lincoln Running Company: Fifty Years of Helping Lincoln Move
For half a century, Lincoln Running Company has kept its place downtown, at 1213 Q St., while the city around it kept moving. Storefronts have come and gone, and running grew from a race-focused community into something wider, with room for every pace and events like half marathons, relays, and beginner classes.
Ann Ringlein, store manager, has been with the company for over 40 years, giving her a front-row seat to Lincoln’s growth. “Lincoln is full of amazing people that want to do really good things,” she says. She sees that spirit in runners. “We want to lift everybody up.”
Independent by Choice
As shopping patterns moved outward and Lincoln changed around them, Lincoln Running Company kept showing up from the same block. “We’ve stayed downtown because we really believe in downtown,” Ann says. “People walk by and wave through the window, and it’s that neighborly feeling and personal interaction that have made us who we are.”
Lincoln Running Company’s downtown address is part of the story, but so is the way the store has stayed in the Rogers family’s hands, remaining locally owned and independent. In a retail world shaped by franchises and online shopping, Ann sees that independence as something rare. “I know we’re the oldest, family-owned store that’s been in the same family for this long,” she said. “To have one that’s still small and locally owned—not a franchise—is pretty remarkable.”
Running Opens Up
The running community has changed in the past 50 years. Ann remembers when local running felt race-focused. The marathon was the premier event, and shorter races were for faster runners. “Lincoln and the surrounding area now have running events for anyone who wants to get moving. From the Lincoln Marathon to relays like Market to Market, the options have helped more people find their place.”
“Consistency beats everything. You don’t need to go as far, or as fast, as you think, but moving more often will do wonders.”
Ann shares that view through Beginner’s Luck, a class for new runners. “Running has taken me so many great places, and that’s what I get to share,” she says. “How lucky am I to be part of a place where so many people want to get out and move.”
Lincoln Running Company Can Help You
A visit to Lincoln Running Company starts with listening. Team members typically ask about pain or past issues to help match each person with a shoe that supports how they move. Ann calls it “the art of putting the right foot in the right shoe.”