Our fitting process has evolved over the 25 years that we have been in business. Greg Klein, the owner of South Sound Running, was originally trained by Chet James at Super Jock n’ Jill in Seattle, WA. From this foundation, after thousands of fittings, we have done our best to refine this fitting process. South Sound Running believes how you are fit is just important as the shoes you buy.
Our Process:
Customer history:
We start with a discussion to better identify your needs. We ask a few targeted questions such as:
- What shoes are you wearing now? What is working with them and what isn’t?
- Are there any injury concerns we should be conscious of?
- How are you going to use these shoes? Are they going to be for running, walking, lifestyle, orthopedic?
Foot Exam:
We then have customers stand and walk in their socks to analyze the following:
1.) Foot shape
2.) Arch mobility
3.) Foot splay
4.) Ankle mobility
South Sound Running forgoes using instruments for measuring the foot because shoe sizes and shoe shape of each model varies greatly. Therefore, we begin with your normal shoe size and fit each model individually.
Try on Phase:
Using the above information we bring out a pair of shoes that we feel will best meet your individual needs. We then assess your run or walk in that shoe. Based on your feedback and our observations, we continue to pull and compare models. It is absolutely critical to us that we watch you run and walk in every pair of shoes you try. That is why all South Sound Running locations have extra space for running and walking inside each store.
We believe our “over ground” assessment is the best method for fitting customers . It is our experience that treadmills, video cameras, foot scans and other technologies paint an incomplete picture in evaluating a shoes performance.
Our goal is not to prescribe but to educate and guide our customers through the process so that you, the customer, will have greater confidence in your selection .
GUARANTEE:
Our fit process is extremely thorough but the final test is experiencing how the shoes perform on the road. We offer a 30 day refit policy in case any issues arise. Our fit process does not end until you are completely happy with your shoes.