Two Marathon Turns, One Budding Clothing Line

doesn’t just run marathons … he helps people dress for them.

Stoller “accidentally” became a marathon runner several years ago when a friend asked him to run five miles of the 2007 Boston Marathon just to keep him company for that chunk of the race. Stoller ended up running 16 miles with his friend that day.

“I’ve always stayed in shape, but I’ve never been a big runner,” said Stoller. “I didn’t start running until I turned 40.”

Now he runs quite a lot – enough to prepare for this year's Boston Marathon, his fourth in Boston and his fifth marathon overall. He said that his favorite spot to train in Wayland is along Rice Road, but he'll take just about anything expect a treadmill.

“I have not done one run on the treadmill,” he said. "I would rather run in 10 inches of snow than run on a treadmill.”

So Stoller stumbled upon becoming a marathon runner, but his marathon-related venture into performance apparel is a bit easier to understand.

Thanks to that run alongside his friend, Stoller became hooked on marathons and decided to enter the 2008 Boston Marathon as a charity runner.

In order to run, he needed to raise the required funds, so Stoller put his background in the promotional product business to work. He came up with the slogan, “Right on Hereford, Left on Boylston” (the final two turns of the Boston Marathon), had it printed on shirts and then sold those shirts to reach his fundraising goal.

He reached that goal and accomplished another unexpected goal at the same time: He created a following.

“My slogan is almost kind of an underground cult,” Stoller said. “It’s been really exciting."

Stoller has now trademarked the slogan and, since that first year, “Right on Hereford, Left on Boylston” has expanded to include moisture-wicking performance apparel, bumper stickers, hats and cowbells.

He doesn’t know where it will go next, but Stoller said he hopes to continue to build on the brand’s foundation as an effort for charity. Today, $5 from every purchase made by a charity runner is donated to that runner's charity.

“I would love to continue to make it part of a charitable endeavor,” Stoller said. “And I’d like to become THE recognizable unique product associated with the Boston Marathon. Right now, there’s truly nothing genuinely unique for the Boston Marathon. All the official gear is through Adidas.”

“Right on Hereford, Left on Boyston” has a booth, number 2027, at this year’s John Hancock Sports and Fitness Expo, taking place all weekend leading up to Monday’s marathon.

For Stoller’s part, he doesn’t know what tomorrow will bring for his apparel line, but he does know that marathons are in his future. He hopes to some day run the Chicago and the New York marathons, and he says he expects to run the Boston marathon for a few more years at least.

“There’s a surreal feeling you get when you cross the finish line and you realize you can stop running,” Stoller said. “This will be five [marathons]. I think I’ll probably run a few more.”