UP & RUNNING IN HORSHAM

Up & Running in Queen Street, Horsham is once again back under local ownership. We visited the specialist running store to meet the new owner, Gareth Rowlands… 

The Horsham branch of Up & Running was established by Mike De Frateschi in 2002. As a member of local club Horsham Joggers, Mike opened a dedicated running shop to cater for the growing popularity of running as a leisure activity. Mike ran the shop for over 20 years, with Up & Running gaining a reputation for superb customer service. After his retirement, the Horsham store closed for several months, before re-opening in March 2024 with new management.

Gareth said: ‘I previously worked in television, editing and producing a variety of programmes. Like many in the industry, most of my work was freelance based, with one job usually leading to another. However, there was a major downturn – predominantly due to a post-Covid backlog – that left many freelancers out of work. With opportunities few and far between, I looked elsewhere for work. 

‘The Horsham shop is one of less than 30 Up & Running stores across the country and following Mike’s retirement, its closure was felt by the local running community. The company needed somebody to manage the store and I am a keen runner, finishing the year’s 120-mile Kerry Way Ultramarathon in Ireland in 10th overall. So, I was given the job of overseeing the re-opening and have since spent two-and-a-half years managing the store,. 

‘We have received good support from running clubs, even establishing our own Monday evening group, while the hours have given me with a good work/life balance, so I’ve been able to spend more time with my family. Last year, I contacted the Managing Director and floated the idea of taking on the shop as a franchise, like Mike had done previously. I’m delighted that we’ve now been able to do that, so Up & Running in Horsham is once again locally-owned.’ 

TREADMILL TEST

Much of the shop’s success has been built on service, with customers benefitting from a gait analysis, so that Up & Running’s staff can better understand their body mechanics and muscle movement. Staff are trained in bio-mechanics and have backgrounds in running, so can not only suggest the ideal shoes based on a customer’s running style, but provide technical and scientific advice too. 

Gareth said: ‘There are two main categories of running shoes: neutral and support. Neutral shoes allow you to move naturally without extra structural correction, while support shoes have additional features, such as firmer foam, to reduce traits like overpronation (inward rolling of the foot). The gait analysis from the treadmill helps us to understand an individual’s movement and find them the right shoe. If they are overpronating, we can offer them a shoe which will help stabilise them, reducing the risk of injury. There’s no additional cost for this analysis and we thoroughly recommend it. As well as working with running clubs, we have established relationships with local businesses such as Feet & Motion and Clockhouse Podiatry. We recommend their services to clients if we suspect things such as Morton’s Neuroma (a painful condition that affects the ball of the foot) and Plantar Fasciitis (an inflammation or micro-tearing of the tissues connecting the heel bone to the toe). 

‘As well as helping people find suitable shoes for running or other exercise forms, we help others who need supportive shoes for work or general use to reduce damage to their feet. Whatever the problem, we offer a bespoke service and like members of local running clubs, clients of some podiatry businesses receive a 10% discount.’

ADDING COLOUR

Up & Running stocks a wide range of shoes by leading brands including Brooks, Asics, Saucony, Ultra, Topo, Mizuno, New Balance, Salomon and Ronhill. Thanks to its long-established connections, the shop also supplies vests to Horsham Joggers, Blue Star Harriers and Mel’s Milers, along with athletic apparel and nutritional products for energy, protein and hydration. As a franchisee, Gareth now has the freedom to expand and refine the shop’s range to cater for demand.

He said: ‘We have always worked with a wide range of brands, as people have different shaped feet or run in a way that may suit one shoe, yet not another. However, we only stock specialist brands, and many of our shoes will not be found at High Street sports shops. For example, some people travel from well outside the District for brands such as Karhu, a Finnish brand. By offering variety, we can introduce customers to comparable models. Someone may love wearing Asics Novablast, replacing them year after year. But here, they can also see how a New Balance FuelCell Rebel compares, so they can be sure they’re wearing the best shoe. 

‘As a store run by head office, we have been limited to certain brands and colours. In a small town, some customers like individuality when it comes to colours. Now, as a franchise, I will be able to offer more variety, and if we don’t have a certain colour in stock, we can order it. We can also tailor our shoes and apparel to local demand. There’s a healthy trail running community, as we live in one of the woodiest counties in the country, with great tracks through St Leonard’s Forest and along the Downs. So, we hope to offer a wider selection of trail shoes, and perhaps expand our range of children’s running shoes, introducing spikes for track athletics to cater for the thriving junior section at Horsham Blue Star Harriers.

‘Another advantage of our independence is that we can provide more support for events. We have fantastic local events such as Run Barns Green and the Alf Shrubb Memorial, and it would be great if we could increase our presence at such occasions.’

SOCIAL RUNNING

Up & Running also has its own running club, with groups meeting the shop every Monday evening at 5.45pm. This social group is free to join, and people can join as and when suits them. Some runners have gone on to also join other clubs in the town, while vest numbers from a variety of fun runs, marathons and endurance events have been donated by some of the group’s regulars and stuck to the walls of the shop, creating a sense of community inside the shop too. 

Gareth said: ‘We have anywhere between 25 and 50 people running each week, although we’ve had over 70 on occasion. We welcome people of all abilities and runs are only about five kilometres. We often head towards Chesworth Farm, as it’s a beautiful route through the countryside and yet close to town. 

Occasionally, brands demonstrate products with our runners and Topo will soon test their latest shoes here. This presents an opportunity for customers to try something new on a short run. By working with niche brands, we also attract people from running clubs outside the area, and by ending with a pizza, help forge friendships across the wider running community.’

Further information: Visit Up & Running at 20 Queen Street, Horsham, RH13 5AF or visit the website at www.upandrunning.co.uk

First published in AAH Magazine on 1 October 2026. Words: Ben Morris / Photos: Alan Wright Photography