Not only do we stock one of the widest selections of walking and running shoes anywhere--with all the best brands, including Adidas, Asics, Brooks, Mizuno, New Balance, Nike, Puma and Saucony--but each of our stores also features the latest in technical running and fitness apparel from leading manufacturers like Nike, Brooks, Asics, Moving Comfort and New Balance. Here, you can see some of the latest and greatest apparel designs in the industry.

In addition to our retail offerings, A Snail's Pace's popular Running Academy courses are unique, fun and very successful. Running 101, Running 102 and Running 103 are courses designed for new or returning runners looking for a supportive and safe group-training atmosphere in which they can progress through the three early stages of running fitness. As a follow-up, the Running 201 course is held several times a year at the Running Academy, and uses the group concept to improve endurance, stamina, and prepare runners to run one of many local Half-Marathons. To complete the upper division classes offered at the Running Academy, there is Running 301, which will get you to the Finish Line of one of the local marathons with a safe and sensible group training over six months. Many runners have started out in Running 101 and, over time, built up their fitness to the point where they have successfully completed their first marathon! Ask at any store location for details on A Snail's Pace Running Academy, or click on the ACADEMY link above.

ASP has been serving runners and walkers of ALL ability levels since 1979. And our very popular running club--A Snail's Pace Running Club (ASPRC)--was also started back in the '70s. Our running club is populated with beginning runners, trail runners, 5-10k road racers, marathoners, ultra-marathon runners, and most of all: fun-runners! See any store for details, or click on the CLUB link above.

If you're in the Southern California area, please be sure to visit one of our stores and experience all that the Snail has to offer.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THAT NAME?

So you think A Snail's Pace is a funny name, do you? How about Loeschhorn's for Runners? Yep, that was our original name back in 1979 when Dave Reynolds decided to try the running store business!

If you were a runner in Orange County in 1979, Loeschhorn's is a name you probably recognize. John Loeschhorn established the very first running shop and social running club in Orange County in the latter '70s. His original store in Costa Mesa was a Mecca for runners from all over Southern California. Our 1979 Fountain Valley store--originally located on Warner Av directly across from Mile Square Park--was the 4th Loeschhorn's store in OC and the very first franchise store.

With a lot of ups and downs during the '80s, running shops everywhere were going out of business and the decade closed with the Fountain Valley Loeschhorn's as the last remaining Loeschhorn's for Runners store. With no other Loeschhorn's stores to associate with, it was time to try a new name. 

With the FV store lease up for renewal at this time, we decided to change the name AND the location at the same time. We relocated the store two miles west to its current location on Warner Avenue. However, coming up with a new name was a little more difficult than finding a new location!

With the relocation looming and struggling to come up with a name, the (true) story goes that Dave was out running on a damp, drizzly morning and racking his brain for some kind of a unique, catchy name.

His run was interrupted, the story goes on to say, by an exodus of what appeared to be hundreds of snails migrating across the wet sidewalk--as snails will do on rainy mornings. Forced to tiptoe at half-speed, he chuckled to himself, 'Geez, I'm having to run at a snail's pace'. 

That was the lightning bolt. 'Hey, what about that for a name?' he thought. Well, it took a while for the name to grow on him, but at a loss for a better alternative, the name went up on the sign and business cards were printed, and there was no turning back.

Soon, however, the name became not only accepted, but even better received than Dave had ever dared to hope. The name was greatly enhanced by the clever logo design created by Joe Pearson of Action Shirts in Huntington Beach. 

It also helped that the name was non-threatening, so walkers and novice runners didn't feel so intimidated when they came into an actual running store for the first time. And, most people appreciated the humor in the mildly self-deprecating name.

It seems, sooner or later, most runners come to realize: In the big scheme of things, we're ALL snails!