Adidas will end its community-focused Adidas Runners program in North America after nine years, according to messages sent to its run club leaders.
Sources familiar with the matter told A Mile. A Minute. that Adidas cited budget constraints as the one of the reasons for the exit.
The affected regions include New York City, Miami, Los Angeles and Mexico City, which are all listed on a map of the venture’s global footprint. No other clubs outside of North America are thought to be impacted for now.
And while Adidas Runners will pull out of North America, it will maintain its community and performance-focused as part of a partnership with Atlanta Track Club, which hosts dozens of races and track meets through the year.
An email distributed on Wednesday to New York City runners briefly touched on what seemed to be the company marking the end of Adidas Runners in area, with a final set of events this week to close the year.
“As we close out this incredible chapter, we want to take a moment to say how grateful we are for this community,” the email said. “For almost 9 years, adidas Runners NYC has been a constant in so many of our lives—through personal bests and tough miles, through life changes and seasons.”
Adidas Runners launched in 2017 during a period when some major footwear brands leaned heavily into creating their own community engagement through group runs and collaborations with local clubs. New York City proved to be a large hub for Adidas as its run club style format was established by deploying smaller units in the city that drew crowd rather than host a single run in one location. A rollout of a similar concept became global strategy for the company as Adidas-sanctioned clubs emerged worldwide.
Meanwhile, as Adidas pivots from operating its club model in North America, Fleet Feet will step in as the brands have partnered to use the retailer’s large network for consumer and community activations.
In November, both announced that Adidas would tap Fleet Feet to “elevate grassroots events across the country, creating opportunities for runners to engage with the sport on a deeper and more personal level.” And while the collaboration sound like a replacement for the Adidas Runners model, many Fleet Fleet stores already offer group runs and other activities that help drive traffic to retail locations.
Fleet Fleet has over 280 stores across the country and many of those outlets will see increased emphasis on Adidas products on shelves with its community activities as a target.
The brands have collaborated previously, with Fleet Feet stores in New York City recently hosting Adidas-sponsored runs in the weeks leading up to the 2025 New York City Marathon and during race week in November.
