Eric Johnson, manager of The Starting Block wanted a challenge. As if moving to a new city, Springfield, MO, wasn’t hard enough he decided to take up the sport of running. What better way to meet new and healthy people and see the same friendly faces every weekend then at the local 5k races?  After about a year,  he ramped up his desire for tougher physical activity so he gave the triathlon a spin. His greatest inspiration is meeting and running with with people of limited physical abilities, people in wheelchairs and on crutches but who still manage to train for and compete in races.  They  keep him going when the going gets tough.

The Starting Block, Columbia, MO

After going for a run with his best friend, a runner for West Point and Southwest Missouri State, Johnson made a dramatic improvement in his times. “Relax dude. You can’t run with all that tension, ” his friend said. Immediately Johnson could feel a release in his body and a change in his gait. At the end of the run, when Johnson was struggling to keep up, his friend told him, “Running hurts. You just have to deal with it. And you can.” It was a simple concept, dealing with discomfort, but it helped. Later, when Johnson watched The Long Green Line and heard Coach Joe Newton deliver his famous newtonism, “However fast you are running, run faster,” he related, simple ideas that have a huge affect. The Long Green Line was perfect for the high school running community in Springfield.

The Starting Block is perfect for the beginning runner.  They perform video gait analysis to ensure people get the right shoe for their foot. With their well trained staff are able to trouble-shoot injuries. Johnson makes sure everyone working for him knows everything about all of their products. The owners of The Starting Block have given their staff a huge challenge, they say if the store racks up one million in sales in a year they will buy an Endless Pool for the store. Eric Johnson is always up

The Starting Block, Springfield, MO

for a challenge.