Peter Butler studied accounting in university, but when it came right down to it, he knew he couldn’t go from an impressive running career to a sedentary office job.
It all began in 1972 – as an active 14-year old kid, Butler tried out for Cross Country to fill in time before the hockey season started, and it turned out he was pretty good. He was living in New Canaan, Connecticut at the time, and at the last meet of the season, became the first freshman to win the Fairfield County Junior Varsity title. Just like that, he retired from hockey to focus on running.
Butler studied Arthur Lydiard’s training methods and ran his first marathon in 2:36:55 – a week after he turned 16. At age 19, he finished 7th in the IAAF World Junior Cross Country Championship, then set a Canadian Junior 10,000m record of 29:10 that stood until 2010. As part of a long list of accomplishments, he got his 10,000m time down to 28:40 at age 21. By then, he felt like he had reached a plateau at that distance, so he decided to train properly for the marathon. In 1985, Butler won the California International Marathon, setting a course record of 2:10:56 – which also happens to be the second-fastest marathon time ever clocked by a Canadian.
So what do you do with that kind of passion for running and some business knowledge? Butler and his wife, Karen, who is also an avid runner, wanted to make a living doing something they loved, to coach others and to promote healthy lifestyles. So together they founded a specialty running store called FORERUNNERS in 1986, and now, 25 years later, the store’s 2 locations still serve the Vancouver running community.
In 2010, the Canadian Association of Running Specialty Stores named FORERUNNERS the Canadian Store of the Year, not just for their business success, but also for their work in the community and contributions to the association. Butler says, “we try to serve our community for their running needs with knowledge, passion, integrity and desire. There are lots of places to buy shoes and other running gear in Vancouver and we pride ourselves in working hard to satisfy each customer so we can be their store for life.” Butler and his wife love coaching runners through their store clinics and are heavily involved in the local running scene.
One of the store’s major contributions to the community is their involvement with the First Half – a half marathon that sells out in less than 4 hours every year. The event is completely run by volunteers – there isn’t even a paid race director – and all of the net proceeds go to the Children Variety Club of Vancouver.
Mizuno came on as a sponsor of the First Half in 2009, much to Butler’s delight. “Their product is excellent and continually improves,” says Butler. When asked about his favourite products, Butler is quick to recommend the women’s Wave Rider 14 as the shoe his customers can’t get enough of. He’s also thrilled with the Wave Cabrakan trail shoe, and is looking forward to the all new Wave Enigma for Fall 2011.
While Butler can’t train like he used to, the passionate runner is sure to get out for about an hour each day and Karen gets out 4 to 5 times per week – they ran the First Half in 1:37 and 1:52 respectively. “At 53 it is critical that I continue with exercise and maintain fitness,” says Butler. “We will continue running for the rest of our lives, body permitting! It is what we do.”
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