Marathon Sports, a running specialty retailer based in New England, was named in The Where Business’s ranking of the best place to buy running shoes, which evaluated five running shoe retailers on criteria related to in-store fitting, return policy and store access.
The Where Business is a retail-focused blog that publishes comparison guides and rankings across consumer product categories, including beauty, supplements, fitness, electronics and home goods. Its running shoe guide compared five active retailers, describing itself as independently researched.
According to the guide, retailers were scored on six weighted criteria: fitting expertise at 25 percent, return policy on worn shoes at 20 percent, brand and model selection at 15 percent, cost to shop at 15 percent, access and convenience at 15 percent and post-purchase support at 10 percent.
The Where Business ranked Marathon Sports No. 1 among the five retailers evaluated, citing its in-store fitting process, worn-shoe return policy and lack of a membership requirement, according to the ranking.
Marathon Sports offers The Right Fit, a consultation that includes a barefoot gait analysis along with a discussion of a customer’s running goals and current gear, available without an appointment at any location. The company accepts returns and exchanges within 30 days of purchase, including shoes that have been worn, and most returns and exchanges, including return shipping, are free. Online orders ship free above $74.95 and can be returned at any of the company’s stores. Marathon Sports operates 32 stores across Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont, carrying running shoe brands including Altra and Asics.
“We’ve always believed the right fit starts with a conversation, not just a shoe box,” said the Marathon Sports Team. “It means a lot to see that approach recognized outside our own stores.”
The full ranking is available at https://thewherebusiness.com/blogs/best-of/best-place-to-buy-running-shoes-of-2026/.
Marathon Sports was founded in 1975 in a renovated first-floor apartment near Harvard Square. Colin Peddie took over the business in 1992 and introduced The Right Fit, a bio-mechanical gait analysis used during the shoe-fitting process. The company opened a second location, Marathon Sports West, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, in 1994 and has since grown to 32 stores serving runners across New England.
The Where Business is an online blog that publishes buying guides and brand rankings across consumer product categories.