Leaving a good thing behind

By: Morgan Sauer

I’ve worked at 605 Running Company for over four years. I first started because I was still new to Sioux Falls, I needed another part time job, and although at the time I couldn’t run much due to a bad injury, I loved running. Did I know what a “toe-box” was or how to fit a person for shoes? Absolutely not. But I did know running. And I knew how to use that to help others.

In the first year, I slowly grew into organizing group runs, designing posts for social media, taking product photos, and eventually designing branded products. I loved what I was doing. It was the most entertaining and exciting job I’d ever worked in my life with people that I understood and wanted to work with. As of January this year, I became the Marketing and Community Engagement Manager. I’d been the marketing manager with different word combinations for a while, but that’s the official title.

Though some friends and family thought my job was odd, I disagreed. It’s a hard thing to wrap your mind around when you tell a person you work at a running store. Because what do you do?

Turns out lots of things. Much more than you could ever guess. Much more than I ever guessed.

The things I’ve been able to do, see, accomplish, and learn while working at 605 Running Company could be a twenty-page paper, and no one needs to stick around that long to read that. So, here are some of the big things.

Doing BIG things with few people:
605 Running Company is a small business. I think right now we have about nine employees which is undeniably small. And personally, I like it that way. You’d be surprised by how impactful just a few people can be on a business, a community, a city, and a passion. Derrick, Greg, and I have been a team for a handful of years and we’ve moved the store . . . three times, if you include opening our Bridges location. We’ve grown the races we put on, the number of races we put on, we do race timing, and we’ve been able to expand the coaching program. We’ve been able to enhance the interior of the shop to make it more engaging with customers. We’ve traveled, learned, brought in new brands, lead events, partnered with nonprofits, and, maybe the most important thing, kept the store clean while we were at it. So, you don’t need an army of people to make a difference, you just need you and a few trusted friends to hold you up where you fail.

Small business is about connection:
You can’t be a small business without the connection and relationships with other small businesses. The unique thing about small businesses is that they all share the same reason for existing. Well, okay, maybe not down to the specifics, but they all want to be different, to be something different. For 605, it’s all about servicing the customer and the running community in a way that no one else in town does.

Change is terrifying:
Again, I’ve worked here for over four years. It has been amazing. I’ve learned so many things, and been a part of changing so many peoples lives. It’s easy to forget that sometimes when the main focus for the day is trying to get an email out, or confirm a group run. In some ways, it’s hard to imagine not being a part of 605 Running Company when I’ve been a part of it for so long. It’s become a part of my identity. And that’s something I now have to let go.
 
Because I’m taking a new path in life, moving out of Sioux Falls, and will be working a completely different job as a Naturalist in Hinton, IA. I know I’ll have a lot of fun in this job, and getting to work outside all day and share my love for the details of the outdoors has been a lifetime goal of mine.

But it’s hard to leave a good thing behind.

Obviously I’m not moving to a different country, though if I could choose one it’d be either Norway or Greece. In fact, Hinton is only just over an hour away from Sioux Falls. But it still feels far. 605 Running Company won’t be an everyday thing for me. It’ll be through a screen on social media, or for a short visit on a weekend, or while running a race they put on. And that’s been a tough pill to swallow, in fact, I think that sucker is still stuck in my throat.

I love 605 Running Company. I’ve loved my time here. But through some deep soul-searching, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s time to move along. Not necessarily to better things, but to different things. To try my hand at my dream job.

Have no doubt, I will forever be an ambassador of 605 Running Company.

Today was my last day. Thanks for all the memories.
 
-Morgan Sauer
Ex. Marketing and Community Engagement Manager