(Pictured above: Circa 2010 – Fairhaven Runners blazing fast store team at the The Dirty Dan Days Piano Race!)
As we celebrate our 25th store anniversary this summer, we thought it would be fun to get some more insights from beloved store manager and shoe buyer Craig, who has been here since the beginning.
Craig, we have been so fortunate to have such wonderful employees working at the store over the years. It’s been cool to be a part of their lives and see where they go from here. Do you have any favorite stories to share?
Over the years, we have hired numerous young men and women who have all been passionate about running. In fact, passion is a requirement for an individual who hopes to work at Fairhaven Runners & Walkers; when prospective employees come in to drop off a resume, we ask them to come back with a cover letter if they don’t already have one. We want to hear about their passion and commitment, and so we ask: WHY Fairhaven Runners? WHY you? Many of these eventual employees turn out to be full-time students looking for part-time work. They help out at the store on weekends or on weekday evenings after finishing with Cross-Country or Track practice at their respective schools. After 25 years of co-workers, I have so many wonderful memories of dozens of runner-advisors….
Speed is certainly not a requirement here, but it turns out that a healthy dose of running passion is a key ingredient in a State Champion runner…..and we’ve had a few! Not to brag, but here’s an (incomplete) list: Ashlee Vincent, 1600M…Alex Grant, Cross-Country…Dillon Quintana, 3200M, Cross-Country…Emily Pittis, 1600M, 3200M, Cross-Country…Conner Johnsen, 3200M…Chris Fredlund, 4 X 400M…Genevie Pfueller, 3200M, Cross-Country…Matt Welch, Cross-Country…Kaleb Korta, 1600M, 3200M, Cross-Country…Kayla Mellott, 4 X 400M…
A passion for running often expresses itself in a significant interest in running shoes, and many of our advisors have graduated from our store to find careers with major Running Shoe Brands such as Asics, Brooks, Nike, New Balance and Saucony. One of our earliest employees, Zach Boteilho, was our first WWU student-athlete. Zach was famous for his catch-phrase “run with the hate”, a tenacious competitor in the 5 and 10K on the track (25 laps!). He went on to Nike in Beaverton, OR and rose steadily through their ranks. After a switch to Brooks in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, Zach now is a Senior Manager and has travelled the world to access the best materials for constructing light, resilient and shock-absorbing running shoes.
While the majority of our student –athletes have come from WWU, occasionally we have hired precocious high-schoolers with impressive poise, self-confidence and personalities that shine. One of these high-schoolers was Chad Mullavey. I’ll never forget the first time I met Chad. He must have been 16 years old and a Sophomore or Junior at Sehome H.S. He came in seeking knowledge. It turns out, Chad had a job at a Mall sporting goods store in the shoe department. He stood in front of our shoe display wall and picked up several models, turned them over and over in his hands, and started peppering me with questions. Some of his queries were so detailed and specific that I couldn’t honestly give him an answer. Soon after that visit, Chad applied for a job at Fairhaven Runners, and I got to know him much better. He was a Savant! Not just running shoes, but anything to do with technology: computers, cell phones, running watches. My wife, Kristen, soon was calling Chad for advice anytime we needed a new computer or printer or cell phone plan. That kid saved us a lot of money!
Chad told me that his dream was to design and develop running shoes someday. He studied Product Development at WWU….and, Guess What? He’s been designing and developing shoes for Asics the past ten years. Shoes that we proudly sell. Well, Asics’ loss is now Brooks’ gain, as Chad has recently moved back from the East Coast to work in his home state of Washington. With Zach and Chad teaming up in Fremont, I can’t wait to see what Brooks shoes look and feel like in the years ahead.
Thinking about Chad Mullavey and his journey puts a smile on my face and swells my heart. There have been dozens like him that I’ve had the pleasure to work beside here in Fairhaven. About a year ago, we hired another precocious kid finishing up his Junior Track season at Squalicum H.S. Like Chad and the many State Champion-caliber employees before him, Chase came to us with a passion for running and an appreciation for our beautiful hometown strewn with the best running trails in the country. The next step in his journey is to follow in one of his fellow advisors’ footsteps (Conner Johnsen) and study and race at WSU in the Palouse.
Who knows where Chase will end up? I’m so proud to be his father, and I’ve loved working with him for the past 14 months. I know there will be many miles, many running shoes, many adventures and many stories ahead for him. And since he is a passionate young man, his journey will be full.
– Craig Bartlett, 4 X 400M (circa 1979
