Business Founders - Running Lifestyle Media

A woman standing next to a clothing rack with kids athletic apparel hanging on it

Business Founders

Running Peas Founder Joanie Kaijala on Keeping Running Fun for Kids

Committed to the notion that youth running and sports should be about having fun, Joanie Kaijala developed Running Peas, a running apparel line for kids.

Several women running in a race on a paved road with trees in the background

Business Founders

Be Light Compression Founder April Pullins Shares How Running Ignites Creativity

When April Pullins began running, movement ignited her creativity and sparked the idea to launch Be Light Compression. Now, she’s motivating other women to rediscover their creative sides.

A woman sitting cross-legged on a table, smiling and holding an energy bar in a wrapper toward the camera

Business Founders

Why PowerBar Co-founder Jenny Maxwell Returned to the Industry to Create JAMBAR

After decades of raising children, running, music, and navigating grief, Jenny Maxwell, co-founder of the original PowerBar, returned to her kitchen to create a new energy bar.

Business Founders

Julie Justison’s Decades of Running Friends and a Brain Full of Running Humor Behind the sweaty ponytales Card Line

Founder of sweaty ponytales, a greeting card line for runners, Julie Justison says it’s the experiences she’s had over the years and the friends she’s made that keep her running.

A woman laughing, wearing a black running jacket and red mittens, and holding a small dog

Business Founders

RunMitts Founder Susan Clayton on Developing the Perfect Running Mitten

Baltimore’s Susan Clayton shares the inspiration behind her running mitten company, RunMitts, and her perspectives on going your own pace, both in running and in running a business.

A group of runners in black and maroon apparel, posing for a group photo outdoors and each holding a book

Business Founders

Read & Run Chicago’s Allison Yates on Shaping Local Connections Through Book Tours

It’s part run club, part book club. Founder Allison Yates leads Read & Run Tours to help runners get to know their cities and one another.

A group of runners posing for a photo on green grass with a blue sky in the background and everyone looking excited

Run Club Leaders

Denver’s bRUNch Running Founder on Pivoting a Running Events Business in 2025

Alex Weissner turned a love for running and brunching with friends into a business, but after a decade of building community through events, economic challenges are creating a shakeup. She shares the mission behind the run club and its years of community-building.

Two women in white clothes crossing their arms and posing for the camera in front of an orange and pink-hued wall

Business Founders

Safely’s Co-founders on Teaching Women Runners How to Use Pepper Spray

Co-founders Ashley Raymond and Meagan Doyle share why knowing how to use a pepper spray device is just as important as carrying it, their motivation for launching a self-defense product company, and what differentiates Safely from other brands.

A woman wearing black tights, a peach tank top and trail running shoes sitting on top of a picnic table with forest trees in the background

Business Founders

Eat for Endurance Founder Claire Shorenstein Shares Travel Nutrition Tips for Runners

Claire Shorenstein, Registered Dietitian and Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, advises runners on proper fueling strategies through her Eat for Endurance coaching business, podcast, and community. She shares why she became a nutrition expert, plus travel nutrition tips for runners.

A women running along a single track trail with her arms out wide surrounded by a green meadow with a blue sky in the background

Runners

Wild Poppy Creative’s Emily Holland on Gaining Perspective Through Trail Running and an Alcohol-Free Life + Running Podcasts

Co-founder of podcasting consulting company Wild Poppy Creative, Emily Holland shares how an alcohol-free life and a love of trail running helped her push past limiting beliefs, plus her insights on top running podcasts.

A man in activewear sitting on top of a mountain ledge looking out at the mountainous view

Business Founders

Take Risks and Bet On Yourself: Run Tri Bike Founder On Encouraging the Everyday Endurance Athlete

Jason Bahamundi discusses the lessons endurance sports teach us and his mission to connect fellow athletes through Run Tri Bike’s media platforms.

A man and a woman standing on top of a downtown city overlook

Business Founders

Vessel Athletics Founder Jasmine Sanchez Shares How She Developed a Hydration Solution for Runners

Poised for entrepreneurship, Vessel Athletics founder Jasmine Sanchez found a problem that needed a solution — a better hydration system for runners — and dove in to invent it.