Potomac River Running

Everyone was super helpful and very friendly. They were interested in all the weird aspects of running my sister and I brought up. For motivation they even helped my running scared sister feel better about getting in shape! ¹⁰⁄₁₀ lifetime customer.

Love this place! Friendly and staff knows their products and is able to make recommendations. On top of that they will donate your old running shoes to charity. They also have opportunities to run in club, events and volunteer!

My daughter loves this store so we thought we’d give it a try. The place was filled with young, fit runners…(I remember those days) …now we are middle aged regular walkers… Meghann was helpful and took the time to explain the treadmill analysis and why she made the shoe recommendations she did. We ended up buying two pair. A great store for all ages and activity levels… no intimidation… just friendly informed service. Will definitely go back.

Excellent service, great selection!

My experience was pretty straight-​forward. I knew what shoe I liked and what I’ve ran in so the lady who helped me brought me what I was looking for and made some recommendations that fit into what I liked in my favorite running shoe. She seemed very knowledgeable on the shoes’ technologies and was friendly and honest. I asked about ear phones and rather than forcing me to buy what they had in the store (which I already had) she explained how I could replace my ear pieces for cheap. They also let me run outside with the shoes on which is definitely necessary.

Very nice and helpful staff.

The staff at this location are great! Everyone is always friendly and nice — I’ve never felt uncomfortable in any regard. Certainly a customer for as long as I live in the area. Whats awesome is being fit for shoes that are actually right for my feet and being able to understand the dynamics behind it — instead of being lost in jargon. The Arlington store is smaller than the others but they are able to get anything you may need from their other locations by Wednesday which isnt bad at all.
Another great thing — the fun runs! I’ve been on the Wednesday and Saturday runs a lot and there is always a great crew.

Wonderful staff and great selection. Ashley spent over an hour helping me find the perfect shoe. I’m a senior, and I have problem feet. I can’t function at all in poorly fitting shoes. I love this store.

I used to venture out for the Cleveland Park location’s Potomac River Running Tuesday night run group. I’m pretty sad the store moved because I really loved everything about it. Felt like my runner family got a divorce.
I recently made the trek out to Arlington to shop for new shoes and gear and I’m happy to report that the store employees are as helpful and cheerful as the Cleveland Park folks were, I’m a happy customer! I had a great time picking out my new running shoes.

I’ve been a runner since i was in Cross Country in High School. I never really looked at the physics involved in running or the importance of the shoe. Even when I was active duty i just bought the shoe based on weight! It wasn’t until 2005 when i started running the Army Ten Miler and the Marine Corps ½ and full Marathons that I stared looking into getting two pairs of shoes. My wife and I both went to them and analyzed our gait and running pattern. It did make a huge difference! Their staff is pretty good too when making recommendations. Overall they get a big thumbs up!

I’ve always had a positive experience. I’ve purchased shoes from both Pacer’s and Potomac River Running and can say I’ve gone back to Potomac River Running over and over. They have numerous community events and bring shoe sponsors so you can try the latest models before you buy. Another nice benefit is there is free parking under the building at this location, get your shoes, stay for a fun run and skip the meter.

Saw this store on my way home one day and decided to check them out since I was finally in the market for new running shoes, after running my current ones to the ground so badly they caused serious foot/​calf/​knee injury.
I took my old shoes with me and walked in to a really organized, clean and empty store — just my luck! I was warmly greeted by Amanda, who I like to think of as Amazing Amanda, because she was just that — AMAZING! She helped me understand the type of shoes I needed and why, she answered all my questions and was personable to boot. We talked about our upcoming races and really inspired me to consider the Disney marathon in the future. I was so impressed with my visit I ended up donating my old running shoes to the store and walked out with a pair of cute and perfect running shoes.
I will definitely be coming back in 6 months, when it’s time for a replacement.

Had a great experience here. The sales lady was super friendly and knowledgable. Brought our dog too. Tried on three different shoes and ran around outside. After 20 minutes and $ 120 (average price for running shoes) walked out with a great pair that I’m excited to run in!

I love Potomac River Running. Every time I visit, staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, and they always have great tips. Plus, everything they’ve recommended for me has been perfect. I love the treadmill with the camera.
Prices are standard, and there’s sometimes a sales rack. Also, when I’ve called, they are happy to check on items. This location is bigger and brighter than the old one, which is nice. Potomac River Running offers a loyalty program, but I’d be loyal to them even if it wasn’t offered.

Nice store with friendly staff. Decent selection and parking validation a nice touch.

This place is great. They will observe you running on a treadmill, and make recommendations on your running style.
The staff were professional, knowledgable, and genuinely helpful. I didn’t feel pressured or like I was being sold to. Overall a great experience, and I’ll definitely be back!

Very helpful staff and willing to put up with you trying on 20 pairs of sneakers. They have a treadmill which you can run on to try out the sneakers. Much much much better then a foot locker or department store.

This place was fantastic. I wandered in about 3pm. Not only did the salesperson want to reconfirm my feet, but she also presented several options for directions that I might want to take my running. Then, after working through that, she had multiple options to work with. I was very impressed with my shoes – just took them for my first run. Their supply was a little low, but since retailers don’t carry a lot over at the end of the year for tax purposes, I’ll ignore that on this review.

I’m old and starting to wither away so those running shoes I bought on sale in a back corner of the kids section aren’t a good idea anymore. A little research and I ended up here.
Great location with a good selection of shoes, though, I thought there were would be a wider selection (1 star off for that). Employees were personable and friendly and not pushy at all. They aren’t crazed runners who want everyone to run or die, etc. etc.
I didn’t do an analysis since I know my specific issues but it’s definitely handy and the hours are better than Georgetown Running Company. Everyone come in and start running… nothing like $ 100+ shoes to motivate you because you don’t want the money to go to waste D:

This location is small, so the selection may not be great, but I recently picked up a shirt and a couple pairs of Hidden Comfort socks that a much larger Road Runner Sports store in Falls Church didn’t have. The staff was nice and knowledgeable and the location is convenient. Pacers is probably still the gold standard for running stores in the area, but I’d visit this PR Running store again for sure.

I was in desperate need of good running shoes, shin splint compression and knee support! The gal who helped me gave solid advice based on analyzing my gate and my needs. She was pleasant, laid back and non pushy which I greatly appreciated. She provided honest suggestions and I am thrilled with my purchases. I got snazzy new shoes, knee braces, shin compressions, and a fabulous head band. Seriously, the head band is the BEST! I have tried numerous brands and been disappointed-​they either slide back/​off my head, are ugly, or don’t last. This type has just the right amount of give and is super cute.
I totally recommend this place for all your running/​walking needs!

I needed a good pair of running shoes, but didn’t want to be thrown sales pitches and rushed which is what I’ve experienced with other athletic stores. Potomac River Running was exactly what I was looking for. Right when I immediately entered, an employee asked if I needed any help finding a type of shoe. I explained my issues with current shoes and what I was looking for and we jumped into action. First I stepped on a scale that displayed on a screen where most of the pressure was placed on my feet when casually standing. Then I was told to walk on a treadmill and the employee monitored my walking patterns and was able to tell what type of arch my feet had. I was then brought out 6 pair of shoes to try on. With each pair, I ran on the treadmill to see how they felt. After trying all 6, we had a winner.
The employee wasn’t pushy at all and gave me her honest opinion on different types of shoes (letting me know which ones she thought were too expensive given their arch support and she was able to recommend comparable shoes which were cheaper). She also didn’t try selling me a bunch of extras like shoe inserts and listened carefully to my past running experiences and my lessons learned with certain types of shoes. Besides shoes, the store has shirts, jackets, and other athletic wear. I definitely recommend Potomac River Running if you’re serious about running or want to start getting serious.

Good running store. Not overbearing and generally pretty helpful.
Was looking to buy shoes for an upcoming distance race. They were able to diagnose my foot pressure when standing and how much arch support I had. The sales assistant gave me a sample shoe and conducted a quick study of my foot strikes on a treadmill.
From there she brought out a pretty wide variety of shoes, all of which I generally liked. Price-​wise, the shoes were pretty on par for what I think you should pay for a decent pair of heavy-​use running shoes.
If you want, they can take your information down to save your account/​shoe history.
Overall, I definitely think it’s what you would want in a running store. Perhaps the only negative thing was the parking. It took me forever to find a spot.