The Story of Big River

Matt and I first talked about the idea of opening a running store in St. Louis in December of 2004 after a run in Queeny Park. I was living in Michigan at the time running professionally for the Hansons Brooks Distance Project and Matt was finishing up graduate school at Iowa State University where he was also coaching the mens cross country and track teams. We knew it was a good idea, but we had no idea that a little more than one year later that little discussion would become a reality.

In July of 2005 I left the Hansons Brooks team after two great years to move back to St. Louis and take a job with the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon. It was an exciting opportunity for me to get a job in the industry where I could really make a difference and help the running community in my hometown. At that same time Matt was in Wyoming and Utah leading adventure trips for Backroads and enjoying the beautiful mountain air out west. When vacation season ended in October Matt moved back to St. Louis and began looking for a job.

My first few months at the Marathon were great and my own personal running was also going well. I finished second at the US Marathon Championships at the Twin Cities Marathon and won a nice amount of prize money. I began thinking of ways to invest my money and the idea about opening a running store re-surfaced. I can’t remember the official moment, but it did not take more than a couple of conversations and we were both on board. Big River Running Company was born.

It is really pretty simple. Matt and I love running. We love being home in St. Louis and we want to help create a running community around our store. The sport has given each of us a lifetime of great memories and now it is time for us to give back to that sport and pass our love and passion on to others. We want Big River Running Company to be a resource for the St. Louis running and walking community. We want Big River to be a place where people can expect to get great service, great shoes, and great gear but we also want it to be where they come to socialize, to train, and to learn more about our wonderful sport.

--Ben Rosario