Foot Traffic West Grand Opening Celebration
“A Celebration of Women’s Running”
A grand opening for the Fourth Foot Traffic location, serving the greater West side of the Portland-metro area.
FOOT TRAFFIC WEST SIDE • 13306 NW Cornell Rd.
Saturday, June 13th 8am-12pm (unveiling ceremony at 10 am)
Foot Traffic, a local running and walking retail store chain, is holding a grand opening celebration for the opening of our fourth location at 13306 NW Cornell Rd. The themed of the event is “A Celebration of Women’s Running,” as we recognize and honor the strides of women’s running over the past 25 years. The public is invited to a special unveiling of a commissioned wood carving of professional runner and former Portland resident, Kara Goucher. In addition, Foot Traffic will be honoring a selection of local, influential women that have made a tremendous impact on women’s running in Portland. The carving will be completed by a local artist, David Hillesland of Oregon Chainsaw Sculptures.
See David below as he discovers the shape of Kara Goucher in the tree:
Thanks to Kara and the women we will honor on this day, women’s running is now a force to be reckoned with. In just 25 years, female race representation went from a measly 25% in 1990 to nearly 60% currently with over 10.8 million finishers! As the co-owner of Foot Traffic and father of two young daughters (with a third daughter on the way), recognizing and inspiring new generations of female participation in athletics is of particular importance to me. Kara and these fantastic women that are a huge reason female running is where it’s at today and why we feel we feel so much excitement for the sport! We will host a ceremony, prior to the 10am unveiling, to honor a handful of local, influential women that have made a huge impact on women’s running for young girls and women in our region. At 9:30am, we will present a certificates and a prize package to these women from both Foot Traffic and Oiselle, a women’s running apparel line started by a women runner. Kara is also currently sponsored by Oiselle after making the switch from Nike in 2014.
Why Kara Goucher?
Kara GoucherWe chose Kara because… Kara embodies the inspiration and impact of women’s running in the sport as one of the most widely followed professional runners of our times (male or female). She is a talented and strong female role model that has captivated the imagination of a generation of young runners, utilizing her engaging and accessible demeanor. Among many career highlights, she won the bronze medal in the 10K at the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan. It was the first – and last – time that a U.S. athlete, man or woman, medaled at that distance in the championships. She ran a 2:25:53 at the 2008 New York Marathon, which was the fastest-ever American women’s marathon debut and an American course record. Her 3rd place finish was the first top three finish by an American woman in 14 years. She is a one of 7 women living in the United States to have run a 10 km race under 31 minutes and one of only 71 women have ever run under 31 minutes. And if her overall influence on the sport was ever in question, one needs only to look to Runner’s World magazine where she’s been on the cover a record SIX times.
