About Slingin’ Shoes

The specialty retail podcast, newsletter and online community addressing the critical issues in today’s market.

Welcome to Slingin’ Shoes

We plan to offer ideas, insight, analysis, fun and community. Everything that makes the run channel special.

Slingin’ Shoes will produce two episodes a month and will include interviews with store owners, sales associates, brand executives, athletes and other personalities who are shaping the business we all care so much about.

We promise to be succinct and honest and will strive for the right mix of serious conversations, humor and irreverence when appropriate.

We welcome your feedback, ideas and suggestions.

New Episodes!

The Slingin’ Shoes Podcast

A lively, topical twice a month podcast featuring interviews with top retailers, brand executives, athletes and thought leaders in specialty retail.

A combination of the fun and the practical. Will include interviews with store associates sharing tales from the sales floor.

Slingin’ Shoes

Listen Now!

New Episodes Twice A Month

Slingin’ Shoes Is Proud To Be Sponsored By:

Click Here For Sponsor Resources

Meet The Hosts

Mark Sullivan

Co-Host

Mark is one of the founders of The Running Event and Running Insight. As a journalist, he has covered the running and active lifestyle business for more than 20 years at Footwear News, Sportstyle and SGB. While a reporter at Women’s Wear Daily, he won the Atrium Award for outstanding coverage of the American fashion industry. Mark was inducted into the Running Industry Hall of Fame in 2023. He is a graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Contact Mark

Chris Farley

Co-Host

Chris is the owner and President of Pacers Running, where he also holds the title of “Chief Running Enthusiast”. Chris has been a dedicated runner throughout his life and a prominent figure in the running specialty industry since 1999.

Under Chris’s leadership, Pacers Running has expanded to five locations across Washington, DC, and Virginia. The company also owns and operates 3 road races annually, ranging from 5k to half marathons. In addition to his work with Pacers Running, from 2015-2023, Chris hosted the popular running podcast “Pace the Nation,” which has been downloaded over 350,000 times.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, Chris was a member of the Cross Country and Track teams for four years. He currently resides in Arlington, VA, with his wife, Julie, and their three sons: James (8), Paul (6), and Julien (3).

Contact Chris