Potomac River Running

I had a great experience at PRR. I am actually not a runner but was looking for pavement-​pounding walking shoes and found the staff very knowledgeable and helpful.

I have always shopped here for my running shoes. In the past I felt cared for by the staff, they carefully checked my shoes making sure I was making the right purchase; I didn’t mind paying full price.
However the past two times I have purchased shoes I have felt rushed by the staff.
I won’t be back

PR Running has very knowledgable staff who can do free running shoe evaluations. They also have running 101 classes there twice a week and the instructor (Chip) is a great teacher.

I am trying to get into exercise and I was fed up with my shoes. They helped me find a good pair that kept my ankles from rolling in. The saleswoman used a bit too much jargon, but overall I was satisfied. Plus, they have a 30 day return policy, which is awesome! I will be keeping my shoes though. :)

Being a newbie, I’ve always been a little intimidated going into specialty shops like this but I knew I needed to upgrade my shoes. When I first went in, I was able to browse around for a minute or 2 before I was approached — I loved not being pounced on when I first walked in the door. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and really took time to explain what type of shoe would work best for me. They also made other recommendations as I looked through various other sections of the store but I never felt any sales pressure.
Prices will always be a bit higher in brick and mortar shops than online but the extra level of personal service and attention is reason enough to support local business. I’m looking forward to starting Running 101 in March!

Received friendly and knowledgeable service while shopping for some workout accessories.

Awesome running store. Staff are knowledgeable, friendly, and available to help you choose the best shoes based on your needs. Diar was particularly helpful in getting both me and my husband set up with a great pair of running shoes. Now the harder part is making sure I continue to wear them out there in this heat!

I went to Potomac River Sports today looking for new sneakers after having shin splints, and the staff (Liz in particular) couldn’t have been more helpful! I was very impressed, and will definitely recommend to others and return for future needs.

They were very knowledgeable and worked with both neighbor and myself to find a great shoe. I was really impressed at the effort to understand our needs and find the best fit. Thank you!

They got me in to a great pair of shoes for everyday about a year ago (I walk & train dogs, so I’m on my feet all day). When I went in last week to get another pair, the store in Ashburn didn’t have them, but they found them at another store and called me the next day to say they had gotten them shipped over. The prices seem high to me, but my feet do great in the shoes.

Very good experience buying a replacement set of running shoes. Sales rep, Fred, was very causious in recommending shoes. Had me try on 3 – 4 pair until we narrowed it down to two pair. Fred had me put on of each brand on a foot (left and right), walked around until I selected a brand. Great service. Very satisfied.

They rock. Best in the shoe biz. Not the cheapest, but they offer 10% discount to tri clubs.

Always have received great service and good recommendations from the staff.

I’ve shopped a lot of running stores, both online and brick-​and-​mortar, and I have to say PRR is the best! Their prices aren’t always the cheapest, but but I’m willing to pay a little extra for proper assessment, advice and fit. And if one joins their VIP program, the ensuing discounts make them extremely price competitive.
=PR= sponsors a number of races in the area, and they are always well organized, and the premiums are superb! In addition, the store offers a number of training programs, and membership in one also provides additional store discounts as well as race discounts!
I’ve shopped at =PR= for a number of years and find the staff knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and passionate about running. I’ve never had an employee try to sell me something that wasn’t right for me, and in fact, have been steered away from a more expensive shoe to a cheaper one at times.
Their follow up is also outstanding. Recently, I ordered a pair of shoes they did not carry in stock, and after being told they would not arrive until the middle of next week, was called four days later to be told they had arrived.
I love success stories, and PRR is one of them. This is a locally owned and operated business, now with eight locations! They give back to the community in numerous ways, and I am happy to support them!
Highly recommended!

–Price — ¹⁄₅ — $ 140 in store — 10% discount, $ 100 online with other retailers
–Customer Service — 1.5÷5 — This killed the whole experience for me
–Convenience of Location ³⁄₅
–Shoe Selection — ⁴⁄₅
So, let me start with a bit of background. I started a bootcamp class in the second week of January, and i had barely exercised in December. So i realized quickly that I needed to get a new pair of shoes, since my most recent pair was from the end of June 2010, and I was suffering from a sore left ankle. I read the reviews on google maps/​judys book/​yelp, and despite one of my coworkers recommending Potomac River Running, decided to try out RNJ Sports in Bethesda. Well I decided to buy a pair of shoes at RNJ, they recommended a motion control shoe, the Brooks Addiction 9, Size 11.5, width D. The Size was a little bigger than I expected.
Ok, so the ankle injury was still bothering me, since I continued to exercise in the bootcamp class. I decided to get a second pair of runners. I thought this might give me two pairs i could alternate with, one for working out, one for wearing at work, since my normal dress shoes were not cutting it with the ankle pain. I mentioned this to another set of coworkers who had gone to Potomac River Running, and insisted that the reviewer that I read must have been wrong, since they had good experiences.
I figured, let me give it a shot. So i went in with one of my coworkers. I explained the whole bootcamp situation, and ankle pain. I was given a test where I stood on a machine that essentially figured out how the pressure was being distributed within my foot. It looked like a thermograph of my foot, in which certain colors indicated greater pressure, and other colors indicated less pressure. She then brought out a neutral pair of shoes and had me get on the treadmill to examine my gait. Between the two tests, it was determined that I overpronate, and I needed a stability shoe. I was recommended 3 shoes. I believe there were a New Balance, Asics, and Mizuno shoe. She told me that the shoe should feel like a slipper. The New Balance felt like that. I got on the treadmill again, and apparently the shoe corrected for my overpronation. The only wierd thing about the selection was that the shoe was a width 2E on the New Balance 1226, size 11.
While the shoe selection was going on, my friend was mentioning about how he had similar shoes but was experiencing pain. The salesperson kept focusing on his problem, while i’m trying on the shoes. I felt the focus should have been on resolving my issue, then his. Additionally, I couldn’t understand why my friend/​coworker was recommending this place when his shoes were also giving him issues.
She did let me try out some Vibrams and Nike Free’s, since I was curious about this whole minimalist movement. She explained how to work them into your routine.
During my fitting/​checkout, she asked where i was taking my class, and I told her. Apparently, they give a 10% discount to Lifetime Fitness members, which I thought was great, since I didn’t even know about it.
She also told me that if there are any issues with the shoes, as long as I didn’t wear them outside, I could bring them back.
Fast forward two weeks, I had worn them in my house to break them in for a day. I wore them on a Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday workout. I read up on my running technique and was thinking that I might be doing a bit too much heel striking. So, I had modified it a bit. Even with that, I noticed that my shin and ankle were hurting in these shoes. Especially compared to the Brooks. So, I took them back to the store.
I brought my Brooks, to help them out, and possibly put me up on the treadmill to compare the two. I explained my problem to the salesperson, a different one from my original visit. He told me the other store definitely gave me the wrong shoe. He had me get up on the treadmill to re-​examine me. He stated that this was the right shoe, and that since I hadn’t exercised much, that I should expect the pain. His suggestion was stick with the shoe, and ice my shins. He did explain some techniques to lessen the likelihood of shin splints. But sent me packing. I kept thinking, if all I needed to do was ice my shins, why did I buy new shoes, couldn’t I have just used the old ones and saved my self the time/​money/​hassle.
Regardless, after I left, this whole thing wasn’t sitting well with me, so I ended up returning the shoes at the Tyson’s location, at which the manager was much friendlier. I explained I had a motion control and these stability shoes, and the motion control seemed to be working better for me. He was very courteous, and had no issues helping me.
Ended up checking out Fleet Feet Sports in Gaithersburg, MD. This place was amazing customer service. Also, recommended a Brooks shoe, but was a Stability. So three stores, three different recommendations.