The reason I mention this article is in the following quote from the article:  "In 1976, I remember driving from my home outside Rochester, NY to Toronto to buy a pair of nylon running shorts."

I also started my running career in the same era (while living in Auburn, AL).  In those dark ages, there were very few running stores.  If I was lucky, a local sporting goods store might have one or two shoe models total that could be used for running.  I remember driving 70 miles to Atlanta to find the real running store that Jeff Galloway had opened there... that was where I bought my first real running shorts and the first of a succession of Nike waffle trainers.

Today, with so many more people running, the market has matured and we have a choice of high quality running stores in the Rochester area.  But, with the tough economic times we are just starting to experience, many of the stores that have supported our sport may have a hard time surviving.  This is a good time for runners to spend their dollars locally and help keep the businesses that give to our sport in business.