4RUN3, which operated a running store in East Longmeadow, MA, and a race management firm that organized races across western Massachusetts, recently filed for bankruptcy and has closed permanently.
A Facebook post on the store’s closing from the owners, Tim and Jill Murphy, reads as follows:
Public Announcement to Our Valued Community
“We’re sorry…” Such a truly genuine, yet totally useless phrase. It doesn’t even begin to make up for all of our shortcomings, yet it is all we can say.
As of today, Monday, 5/13/24, our dream is over. 4RUN3 and 4RUN3 Racing are no more. We are bankrupt, are forced to close our doors immediately, and have no choice but to cease all operations. We have truly lost everything and are beyond sorry for the irreparable damage this does to our community.
As many of you know, back in March 2020, not long before we were set to open, we were shut down by COVID. For months. The wound was financially deep, but we didn’t give up. We took out loans, built an online store, and opened up as soon as we could, even without most of the major shoe brand’s support. For a little while there, we thought we would make it. We earned the trust of the major brands, we got more loans, and we put everything we had into building our brand.
But for the last year or so, the ship has slowing been sinking. Rising interest rates have resulted in monthly payments that exceed what we bring in. High operating expenses, a large retail space, and piling up bills have finally caught up with us and have brought us to where we are today. We have financially lost everything. Our home, our business, our everything. We are truly devastated.
To our community, oh, our community. You are everything to us. So many of you have supported us from day one and YOU are the reason we lasted as long as we did. Your belief in us, your loyalty, and your commitment to shopping local mean more to us than we could ever possibly express. We are so unbelievably grateful for you and so terribly sorry for this disappointment.
To our staff, “thank you” will never be enough. But thank you. Thank you for your commitment to our community and to us. For dealing with unhappy customers and a continual stream of unpleasant phone calls. For your years of service, we are truly grateful, but it is your love, your friendship, and your loyalty that we are truly thankful for. You have brought unimaginable happiness to our lives and we will miss you so much.
And to our runners, our “running family”, we are beyond appreciative for the years we have spent serving you. We will miss you more than you’ll ever know. Your unconditional love, your endless badassery, and your commitment to bettering yourselves is an inspiration. All the races, all the PRs, and all the laughs. All the frustration, all the pep talks, and all the tears. We are forever grateful for all of it. YOU made this community what it is and you made us better people.
And now we are back to those meaningful, yet meaningless words… we are sorry, truly sorry. Being financially bankrupt is a terrible thing – the shame it brings with it is unimaginable. But the loss of our relationships with this community is the biggest blow. How does one walk away from a decade of running, walking, sweating, crying, bleeding, and rejoicing with some of the most amazing people we have ever met?
But there IS a tomorrow. We have our health, we have our family, and we will survive. Our heads will hang low and it will take us years and years to recover and to start our lives over, but we will survive. Someday we’ll be okay.
Thank you to everyone who believed in us, supported us, and loved us. We are more grateful for you than you will ever know. We wish you all the best and we truly hope you will continue to find joy in running and in the community that will live on long after we are gone. Keep it going if you can, for it is more than a community, it is a family. YOU are our family. And we love you.
Sincerely,
Tim & Jill Murphy
