Running The Dream

Every month, we celebrate and feature a woman who went for it, bringing their vision and passion to life. While their businesses and projects vary — they all have battled through self-doubt, jumped before fully ready and embarked on entrepreneurship while simultaneously carrying a heavy load specially reserved for modern mothers.

For February, we are chatting with the amazing Charlotte Walsh, Owner/Operator of Charles River Running in Norwood, MA for 12 years. Here, she shares how she went from a corporate cubicle to ultimately creating a vibrant community of runners and beloved specialty store that supports all of their miles, and smiles. Without capital or networks, this mom of three and Marine Corps veteran did it her way, building the bricks and mortar store from the ground up — and because of this — the success is so much sweeter.

Tell us about your business and the inspiration behind it.

I've owned and operated a brick and mortar specialty run and walk store in Norwood MA for 12 years. Running has been the singular, most constant positive habit that I've kept in my life. It has brought me so much inspiration, balance and consistency that I decided to help folks find the same joy.

The decision to follow a dream is brave. The decision to follow your dream and make it your livelihood is brave, and also scary! How did you take this leap? What were you doing before opening CRR?

I was fortunate enough to spend time raising my 3 children full time after leaving the world of knowledge management consulting. I stopped moving around so much after a change in marital status and settled down in metro Boston. I was faced with the "well now what do you want to do with your life" question. While wonderful on some days, this question is downright terrifying to a 45 year old with 3 school aged children in a new place. I'm a true believer in creating my own success because I've had to.  I've never had access to networks, nepotism or capital. But this is freedom in the truest sense. In creating Charles River Running from the ground up, I used my own skill set, my own newly created networks and owed nothing to no one (except of course signing over the deed to my house to the bank -lol). Creating, growing and working under this set of  circumstances made the relative success of the business that much more rewarding. Scary, yes but I didn't really see how I could happily make a living for myself and my children any other way.

What have been the highlights of owning CRR? What have been the greatest challenges?

Being able to work in a space that I've created is my heaven. The highlights: every day brings new surprises and is different from the day before. The greatest challenges? Every day brings new surprises and is different from the day before. Both can be true. Do I miss a regular, steady paycheck? Yes. Do I miss commuting to an office building to sit in a cubicle? No. For me the challenge of facing risk by owning a small business far outweighs the benefits. 

One thing (of many) we admire about you and CRR is how you've created way more than a store and business - you've really created and nurtured a local community of runners. Why was it  important for this to be part of CRR? ‘

I grew up in a tiny little town in Wisconsin. Everyone knew everyone else. My best friend's mom worked the register at the grocery store. My cross country coach lived in town. It was an idyllic place to grow up and while I left right after graduating from high school I think I looked for its replacement  each time I moved as an adult. Part of me wanting to start my own business was me trying to recreate the community in which I was raised. Isn't it nice to have that one place, store, pub, studio where you not only the owner/operator but also know most of the customers? I had a feeling that I was not the only one looking for this type of experience. Add to the mix the generally sunny disposition of a runner and you have the recipe for a community driven, locally owned run walk shop. 

Best and worst business advice you've ever received?

From the mouth's of 90% of the commercial lending professionals "your concept will never work - try putting your store in a strip mall in a more affluent area". Best advice: if you give up now, you will never know what could be.

Have you come up against challenges being a woman in business? If so, how have you handled them?

After graduating from college I spent 5 years as an officer in the Marine Corps. Nothing I've done since has ever come close to that type of work environment, and that was by my design. Owning a small business in a market that is driven primarily by the female consumer has been a lot of fun. The industry is still primarily led by white men but incremental change is happening.

We have to ask. What's the best advice for someone who wants to run but is intimidated or thinks, I'm just not a runner. Or even better (considering our audience) what about a middle aged woman who thinks it's a young woman's game :)

The human body was designed to run long distances, without stopping. We can not run as fast as an antelope but we can run further and for much longer than an antelope. It's how we hunted and ultimately survived. So really, deep down, we're all runners - our bodies were built to do it. Women have now started surpassing men and winning in the ultra distance running events - as it turns out, we're really good at running extreme distances.  Now, thanks to Costco, we don't need to run down our dinner BUT we still need to move our bodies to maintain some level of good health. Most folks can run and everyone can walk in moderation with an appropriate walk to run training plan and a decent pair of shoes. So, my best advice would be first, visit your local specialty run store and get fitted for a good pair of shoes. Next, find a beginning training plan that fits your lifestyle and schedule. Walking  always comes first, then a bit of running gets worked in. There are great free apps available to beginners and lots of written plans online. 

A favorite product in the store right now? ‘

Korkers Ice Runners - a great product that easily slips on over your shoes so that you can stay upright while out in the ice and snow. I love being outside running or most days just taking a walk with my dog. The Ice Runners keep me honest to my daily practice

What are your hopes for CRR in 2024 and beyond?

Grow the Charles River Running community through outreach, local events, and excellent service.

Our tagline is Inviting the woman inside to come out and play. We are inviting Charlotte out to play. What does she want to do?

You can find me in the mountains. This is the year I finish the 48 4000 footers in New Hampshire - a list I've been working on for 3 years. 2024 is MY YEAR

Learn more about Charles River Running here.