The Art of Running was founded in 1981 by Donna MacLeod and her husband Andrew. The two runners, who met at a 1978 running camp in Boston hosted by Bill Rodgers, felt a passion about the sport that they both enjoyed so much.
After spending several weekends looking for art prints or posters that had a running or marathon theme, Donna decided this was a definite business niche that needed to be filled. She wanted to start a company that could create beautiful, upscale art prints for the running and marathoning community.
She knew it was important to focus on the feeling of celebration and achievement a runner feels after crossing the elusive finish line. She also felt it was important to capture the excitement of the event along with the beauty of the city and wanted to give to the runner a lithograph worthy of their accomplishment. Thus, The Art of Running was born.
With a strong art background, Donna set out to discover and commission the most talented artists she could find. From world famous artist, Bart Forbes, to artists who had not yet been published, they collaborated and created the sought-after images that now grace the walls of many homes and offices. From Boston, to California, Paris to Auckland, and back again, marathoners from around the world have purchased and collected these lithographs.
"We love creating these images that mean so much to so many of our customers," says Donna. "Andy and I met while running, and we still love this sport. We have known many of our customers for almost 20 years and we still enjoy the business as much as we did when it began. Our repeat customers are amazing," she says, "less than 1% of the population has ever completed a marathon. We have hundreds of customers that have done many."
In 1995, Donna got to feel a bit of that elation herself. She ran her first and only New York City marathon. Her best friend did it with her and both families came to cheer them on. "What a thrill, said Donna. "Now I really know how motivated and determined my customers are. This is an incredible feeling...." She smiled and clutched her medal as she walked away thinking about what the next year's lithograph might look like.
by Jennifer Stone
To Contact The Art of Running . . .
Call 1-708-251-8524
Address:
The Art of Running
P.O. Box 960
Lansing, Illinois 60438
LINKS TO OUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES
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