Portland Running Company

I love this store. I started going in when I was going to do Vancouver aka Portland Fit — they are an affiliate and there was a discount policy in place at the time. I just couldn’t handle the hours for that but ended up having *the* place to go to get tennies. Yep, I called ‘em tennies. The store may carry high end product for sports advocates but I’m not that customer. They carry everything for the modern, walker/​runner who is serious about their footwear and assorted gear.
My first visit, they helped me pick out shoes for doing a lot of walking. I got a great pair of Brooks shoes that fit me perfectly.
Prior to this, I was buying Ryka’s — a company that brands itself for women and for women’s feet — supposedly wide toebox and narrow ankles. I thought they fit until I tried on the Brooks. I had been wrong, I’d been wearing ill-​fitting shoes for years.
These are my everyday shoes, I don’t get to walk as much as I like but I’m working on it but these are great shoes that hold up well and (can be) stylish. Season before last, clown colors. Ugh. Enough about my shoes and for the store.
Each year when it’s time to get another pair, I walk in (street parking but you can usually park within a few blocks), stick out my foot and say I need another pair. They go in the back, grab my size or the size that this year’s model equates to (I jumped from a nine to a ten this year.), help me setup the fancy lace-​up that keeps the shoes on my feet just right and all that’s left is to pay and leave with happy feet. They’re quite efficient, helpful and always friendly.
I always leave happy and content knowing that I have the best shoes for me. Their prices are quite reasonable; comparison shopping online shows very little difference in prices for the same model shoes.

I’m a novice runner, came in for help finding my first real running shoes, after my coworker kept pushing me to go. Got excellent help finding the right pair. They didn’t unfortunately have the shoe in the color I wanted or size I needed. I was told they could be transferred from another store and would be ready for pickup the following Monday (it was Saturday). I got a call on Sunday saying they were in and ready for pickup. I called Monday, the woman who answered said they had them and I let them know I’d be there the next day. Today after driving in from Vancouver, circling endlessly for a parking spot and… they don’t have them. The clerk calls and says they are at the Scholls store and what did I want to do. I canceled my order. I doubt this is a common experience. Many people swear by this place so I was very truly surprised and disappointed.

Wow. Their exchange policy is amazing, and they even helped me by locating my purchase (from a few years ago) in their computer and reprinting my receipt. I brought in the shoes I had purchased previously and without batting an eye someone helped me find a shoe that fits not only my feet but what their purpose. Awesome. It was very crowded, but someone helped me in less than 1 minute.

I needed to replace some (very) outdated athletic shoes, and needed help with fit, size, etc. I’m not a runner or a heavy jogger, so I wasn’t sure if this was the right place for me. I mainly do aerobics, and my feet have changed after the birth of my daughter, so I needed some help finding shoes and hoped PRC could help.
As soon as I walked in I was greeted and taken care of from start to finish. Phil listened to what I was looking in a shoe, then we tried on shoes to find the right size and width. Then he let me test the shoes out by jogging in front of the shop a bit, after which he made some more recommendations about support. We tried on several more pairs and did more jogging to compare, and I found a pair that make me feel better than I’ve ever felt in athletic/​running shoes.
Overall, the experience was great! Phil listened, shared his knowledge, and gave insightful suggestions about narrowing down to the final pair. When purchasing, you can have your purchase entered into their database, so you will always have access to that information. I will absolutely be returning when I need to replace the shoes I purchased today.
Thanks PRC and keep up the good work!

My husband and I are training for a half marathon in September. We are total novices at running. Our long runs are up to 6 miles and my feet were KILLING ME (& my pace)! We knew we needed new shoes so we went to PRC. They watched us run and found that I am an extreme over pronator. I bought the shoes that were suggested to be «optimum» for my running style even though they weren’t the best looking ones. I just got doing doing my first 4 miles in them and it was nothing short of AMAZING! My feet, knees and hips felt awesome and my pace was a full minute faster than I usually am per mile! Thank you to Paul at Portland Running Co and the other man that helped me whose name I didn’t catch. You made my husband and I feel welcome into the running community even though we are very new to it and probably don’t look like «runners». We will send our friends and family here and of course, we will be back!

Ran in and got two pairs of running shoes. Great service and a good price!

I went to the SE Grand location and got the best service anyone could ever hope to get when buying a pair of running shoes. My sales guy (I wish I could remember his name because he was so good) really went out of his way to find me a pair of shoes that works for me. He watched me run several times in many different pairs of shoes to ensure I was getting the support I need. I ended up with a pair of Ride 7 Saucony shoes which I feel are a perfect fit for me. There was no pressure to buy, no up selling, only simple excellent service from true professionals who know their stuff. I would recommend this place to anyone who needs a new pair of running shoes, no matter if you’re a true beginner or an elite runner.

This place has great gear and outstanding, knowledgable staff. After being out of running for more than 5 years, I was ready to get back on track. I went in May 2014. I was met by a warm staff member who took a good amount of time, upward of 60 minutes, to talk to me while fitting me for new shoes. She spent real time thinking about responses to my nervous questions about getting back into running, post 40. I walked out with great shoes after 3 test runs. Well, I loved it. So I went back today, 10 months later. (I did purchase another pair of shoes somewhere else in between then and now, but I chose to return to PRC.) I was not disappointed!
Again 3 test runs later, I walked out with a well chosen pair of shoes. This place rocks and its staff is reliable.

This is the second time I’ve bought shoes from PRC.
They’re always so great… they make sure that they fit you for what you need and really care about finding out specifically how to properly fit you.
They watch you walk and run to make sure that they’re getting the right shoe for your needs.
Katey was absolutely wonderful and I will not hesitate to come back to them in six months when I need my next pair.
This location has dedicated parking so that helps a ton. Keep up the great work guys!!!

As a new transplant to Portland area, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I stepped into the store at 800 SE Grand. I knew what I wanted. I liked the model and make of the shoe that I have been running in for the past few years.
The associate was very helpful. Walked out with 2013 model (that I was wearing) at a heavily discounted price and Current ’14/’15 model at the full price.
I appreciated that the Associate /​Team member /​saleslady wasn’t pushing me to the most expensive option. She was very forthright in stating that there were some cosmetic improvements between the latest model and 2013 model but not much more.
No pressure. I took my time and decided… That’s the way I like it. And I ended up making the right choice for me !!!
I will try to go back to this particular store next time I need another pair.

Visited PRC for the first time today. I have been having a series of nagging issues with knee pain all attributed to «runners knee» everyone told me I needed to go her to get fitted for shoes. I came in and was immediately approached by Katey. I told her I was looking for shoes, she asked me to describe my running and then asked to look at my shoes. Almost immediately she was asking if I had pain in my right knee. She showed me the tale told by my old shoes and fitted me with a couple of more supportive shoes. She took the time to let me know what kinds of shoes will work better for me and what items to look for when I go to replace my shoes.
Incredibly helpful. Tomorrow will be the first real run so we will see how they feel but I couldn’t feel better about my visit. I checked my shoes against Amazon. If I wanted a different size and color I could’ve save $ 5. This color and in my size I would’ve paid $ 5 more. My wife found some smoking deals on their clearance rack while we were there.

Thank you so much! I absolutely loved the service I received and love the CW-​X stability pants! Wow thank you!

I got a gift card for the Portland Running Company so a friend and I went together. We spent at least 20 minutes in the store… looking at EVERYTHING. It’s a cool little shop. They carry great products and I found some things that I had gotten off the internet for a better price at Portland Running Company. Shame on me for not going local.
Anyway. they have some cool tank tops and running pants. I couldn’t find a super small running bra for myself… but seems like they have a great range of sizes for the average chest.
My friend and I got the same items. We both got a small hand strapped water bottle and a pair of sunglasses. I wanted to spend the whole 20 $ on the gift card so the total of these items should have been 19.95 $. nope… the whole store was on sale. We spent 16 $ instead. Which is awesome. But now I have a gift card with 4 $ on it… I will save it for a rainy day when I need some energy bars or something.
Oh. by the way… the 5 stars are for the awesome staff. Everyone was friendly and took the time to acknowledge us. I feel like I typically get ignored at most athletic stores.
So thanks folks.

Holly helped me today to get my first legit running shoes. I thought it was going to be a typical shoe shopping experience where I pick the first shoe I see in the store and leave, hoping the shoe will work with my wide feet.
But Holly greeted me right when I stepped in the store and listened to my problems of having wide feet and a high arch. She immediately put me in a sample pair of new balance shoes, got me outside, then had me running down the street, observing that my feet were rolling inwards.
WHOA! I never mentioned my foot roll problem to anyone before and that was awesome how Holly is such a running expert to notice my foot profile after putting me outside for less than a minute. Holly gave me a range of shoes to try according to my foot profile and I ran back and forth outside the store until I found the Brooke’s Adrenaline wide width pair fitted me perfectly. No more inner foot rolls! Holly also gave me good tips on how to tie my shoes to make my heels feel more snug along with getting a complimentary bottle of water. GO TO THIS STORE FOR YOUR PERFECT RUNNING SHOE!

The Portland Running Company is absolutely the best customer service I have experienced anywhere this year. I bought a pair of running shoes on Thursday. I went out for a quick walk on Friday; in 3 miles my feet were just aching and my pinky toe were numb. I took the shoes back. These folks refitted me, re-​looked at my gate, and suggested a different shoe. I am most happy with the new shoes!

The store was empty. Paul was really helpful in selecting a running shoe for me. Really made me feel welcome to take runs outside the store to make sure I could evaluate the shoes. Very positive experience. No pushy sales. Will come back. 5 stars when they have a larger selection.

I had a great experience today speaking with Jessie (sp.) She was very helpful and sweet and sincere. With my extremely limited knowledge she even gave a little coaching on proper running technique while testing the comfort of the shoes out on the sidewalk. That was after her and I sat and talked for a minute, she listened as I voiced my concerns about pain and bad knees and back and she asked about my background with sports and exercise before she even suggested a shoe. And just when I was about to buy the shoes she informed me of a storewide sale that starts March, 7 – 9 (2 weeks away) so I could get them for less. Very much a class act and I was very impressed by the level of professionalism and charm of PRC. Paul was also very friendly and offered me a water.

I have always had the best experience here. Yesterday’s top all expectations. Thank you for true customer service.

It’s a local running store, so you know that you’re going to be well-​taken-​care of no matter what.
So what makes PRC stand out for me? For one, each time I’ve visited, there’s always something on sale for a fantastic price. Considering the cost of running gear, my quiver has grown almost exclusively by raiding clearance racks. PRC’s clearance rack has always treated me well.
I was also impressed at the lengths they went to make sure I got what I needed — it’s a long story that I don’t need to repeat here. Needless to say, I was beyond stoked when the owner went to the trouble I was able to purchase the singlet I wanted and asked to have held in-​store. Something got crossed up and it wasn’t there when I came to pick it up. No problem — he personally sold it to me the next day at their booth at the Shamrock Run. That dedication made sure I’m going to be a PRC customer (and race team member!) for awhile!

I love supporting local businesses, and, as a runner, there’s no other place than locally-​grown PRC for my running-​related supplies and accessories.
Save for footwear and apparel (which I gladly obtain from the Swoosh), I purchase everything else that make running an enjoyable activity, including electrolyte gels, compression sleeves, bottle belts, etc.
Many of the items sold at PRC stores are less expensive than similar or identical items one might find at REI or Sports Authority, for instance. And the personal, knowledgeable service from the staff, many of whom are fellow runners, is appreciated.
Definitely a fan!