Marathoners Meet and Greet at Fleet Feet

Dubbed the “Marathon/Half Marathon Meet & Greet,” Thursday night’s promo event at Fleet Feet Sports on Bloomfield Avenue provided a chance for athletes and aspiring athletes to meet one another and sample the latest sports equipment.

Marathon runner Tom Fleming was a special guest and one of the featured speakers at the event. During a Q & A session, Fleming, a Bloomfield NJ native who won the New York Marathon in ‘73 and ‘75 and finished second in the Boston Marathon, gave advice to fellow runners at Fleet Feet.

“There are so many professional athletes who are willing to take performance enhancing drugs to perform, when we know if you just train hard and eat the right food you can perform well,” he said. “Everyone is different and they need to learn what kinds and amount of food to consume along with the right training regiment.  Also,” he added,  “genetics helps.”

West Orange native Stacy Marcus also spoke at the event.  In telling her own story, she stressed the importance of mental strength in athletic performance.  After breaking her leg in 2009, she was told by her doctor she might not be able to run again.  Marcus, who had been athletic all her life, was stunned. "The doctors response was enough to fuel the fire in my belly to get better and be able to run again," she said.  A year later she ran the 2010 New York City Marathon and has since run in a handful of smaller marathons, including Myrtle Beach 2011.

Fleet Feet Sports at 603 Bloomfield Avenue is owned by former college football player John Fabbro.  Fabbro told his own story of ballooning up to 240 pounds in his twenties before seeking the help of his best friend, a cross-country runner.  Since that time he has run the New York marathon 15 times and says that to this day, he stays fit by running marathons regularly. 

Fabbro organizes events about once a month at Fleet Feet Sports for the Montclair community and nearby locales. Fleet Feet Sports sells products for the pro or amateur athlete, including name-brand athletic shoes, sports bras, swimwear, and assorted apparel.  The store is located at the corner of Bloomfield and Midland Avenues.

“Consumers are bombarded with so much information from the Internet, smart phones and television -- they are getting things thrown at them every second,” Fabbro told Patch.  “It’s our job [at Fleet Feet] to keep up with the latest trends and encourage people to shop locally and support the local community.”

Fabbro added that event like the “Marathon/Half Marathon Meet & Greet,” is his way of staying connected to his customers. “We always try to give back to the community,” he said.