DASH ON OVER. On May 9-10, Blue Ox Running welcomed locals to its grand (re)opening and celebrate store's relocation to River Prairie (1485 Blazing Star Blvd, Altoona). The premier specialty running retail store offers footwear, athletic apparel, hosts group runs and more.

Just a hop, skip – and most definitely a jog – from its original downtown Eau Claire location, Blue Ox Running has officially entered its next chapter with a relocation to the scenic River Prairie in Altoona.

As they settle into their new home base at 1485 Blazing Star Boulevard, Adam and Alicia Condit – the co-owners of Blue Ox Running – share that the shop’s signature “mom and pop spirit” remains as vibrant as ever.

“(Customers) should feel like they are at home, but it’s (now) a new home,” the duo said. “There is something about just being the small local running store and I love that we have more outdoor space that we did not (before).”

In the new retail storefront, Adam and Alicia highlighted several new features, including the most obvious: expanded square footage in the sales floor. Compared to their former Barstow Street location, this allows staff to fit more product on the walls and take into account customer insights.

“It does feel like a different part of town – but with how Altoona, the Chippewa Valley and Eau Claire fit together, we could run or bike from here … without really having to cross the street.“ –Adam Condit, co-owner of Blue Ox Running

“We have a lot for the everyday person coming in from the doctor referral and that younger runner,” the duo said. “A lot of people think we moved to River Prairie and it’s nice and new and shiny … so our prices are going to go up – which couldn't be further from the truth.”

“We are keeping the same everything that we have already had and if anything we are trying to bring in more customers, even on the younger side, as families get involved with our business,” Adam continued.

Behind the scenes, areas largely unseen by patrons – most notably the stock room – have close to doubled in scale, Adam said. Both co-owners noted they could not have made this relocation effort without the unwavering support of their staff, many whom have been a part of the Blue Ox family since the early days.

Now expanded – and vertical – inventory at Blue Ox Running, pictured above.

From an internal standpoint, the expanded back-of-house footprint features significantly taller storage, allowing seamless organization for what is now a quadrupled inventory.

“(This new location) gives us the space we need as a business,” Adam said. “We are a lot better with operations as far as receiving product, showcasing it and actually having people understand what we offer.”

Outside of the shop, new runners and longtime members of “the herd” – Blue Ox’s monthly run club – can now take advantage of the River Prairie green spaces, which are encouraged to use for stretches and warm ups prior to exercise, plus core and ab exercises after runs.

“One other huge factor that we loved about River Prairie was the path system; we can even still do routes downtown or connect to much more than (we) used to even a few years ago,” Alicia said.

Many of the existing routes, familiar to participants of Blue Ox Running’s free group runs at 6pm on Thursday nights – from Boyd Park to along the Chippewa River State Trail – will not only continue, but invite new community members from outside of Eau Claire into the mix.

“We are only three miles away from our old location downtown,” Adam continued. “It does feel like a different part of town – but with how Altoona, the Chippewa Valley and Eau Claire fit together, we could run or bike from here … without really having to cross the street.”

Though Adam and Alicia admitted saying goodbye to their near decade-long spot on Barstow Street was bittersweet, the co-owners are eager for both long-time herd members and fresh faces to visit the River Prairie storefront – where that same community-driven heart will be woven into every aspect of the new space.

Blue Ox Running, located across the street from Cabin Coffee Co., is located at 1485 Blazing Star Blvd. in Altoona.

Alicia and Adam Condit, co-owners – also known as the "mom and pop" – of Blue Ox Running, pictured above.

Visit Blue Ox Running in River Prairie (1485 Blazing Star Blvd., Altoona) open Tuesday through Friday, 10am-7pm; Saturday from 9am-5pm. Follow along with the retailer’s relocation journey, online through social media (@BlueOxRunning).