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400 health: Totally Running and Walking, Kim Hall help others find passion in exercise
Totally Running
Kim Hall, owner of Totally Running and Walking. - photo by Ben Hendren

This article appears in the August issue of  400 Life.

With her background experience with race directing, Kim Hall bought Totally Running and Walking with an intention of displaying her passion for exercise. Hall got her start in the running world as a beginner marathoner in a program called ‘Couches to 5K’ where she fell in love with the idea of using exercise as a method to cope with life’s various stressors. From there, she dedicated her professional life to encouraging others to live a more active life.

“Our goal is to ‘narrow down the wall,’” Hall said. “A lot of bigger companies have these giant walls with all of these different kinds of shoes, and no one knows where they should start. We want to match [the customer] to the shoe best fit for them.”

Totally Running and Walking’s personnel believes that the perfect running shoe is one that fits the needs of the individual wearing them.

“The perfect running shoe doesn’t exist. It’s about finding a shoe that works best for the individual who wears them,” said employee Holli Henderson.

In order to find the “perfect pair,” customers at the store across from The Collection at Forsyth are taken through a comprehensive fitting process that will provide a detailed assessment of what shoe they need.

“When a customer comes in, we immediately take them through our fitting process,” Hall said. “We have a 3D scanner that takes a picture of their foot width, arch type, etc., Then, we have our customers jog or walk on our treadmill to analyze their stride. Then, we match that to a shoe that would be the most comfortable for them.”

Totally Running and Walking often seeks advice from local experts to ensure their products are the best for their customers.

“I’m a firm believer that I should be able to sleep in my shoes,” Hall said. “That’s how comfortable they should be.”

In addition to selling shoes, Totally Running and Walking retails other athletic apparel with everything from sports bras to sunglasses. Apart from retail, Hall aims to push Totally Running and Walking to be a hub for those aiming to progress in living an active lifestyle. 

Later this year, Hall will open a second Totally Running and Walking location at Halcyon, the new mixed-development in south Forsyth County, and she plans to use the location’s access to the Big Creek Greenway to have running groups and other events where customers can engage with a consistent community of runners. Also, with their partnership with FurKids, an animal shelter and rescue organization also slated to open at Halcyon, Hall hopes to host collaborative events in which customers can take rescues for walks.

Above all, Totally Running and Walking intends to spread the importance of adding exercise into a daily routine.

Getting a comfortable pair of shoes is only a part of the journey.

“I want people to know that they don’t have to feel intimidated coming in. We are all regular people who have our own struggles and who are trying to fit exercise into our everyday lives,” Hall said. “We want to help people.”

Visit Totally Running and Walking on their website here.

Article by Jordyn Paul-Slater for 400 Life.

Totally Running
Totally Running
Totally Running and Walking’s personnel believes that the perfect running shoe is one that fits the needs of the individual wearing them. - photo by Ben Hendren