DePauw Stories

If you’re a runner or walker in central Ohio, you’re probably familiar with Columbus Running Company. Since 2004, CRC has been a fixture of the local running scene, offering six retail locations in and around Columbus as well as an extensive selection of races, camps, youth clubs, training programs, group runs and more. Thanks to its inclusive and communal approach, this thriving independent business has become a unifying presence for athletes of every background – from the new beginner just trying to get moving to the seasoned veteran competing at the highest levels. It’s even earned widespread recognition as a national leader, including the 2014 designation of Best Running Store in America by the Running Industry Association.

But perhaps what’s most remarkable about CRC’s success is the friendship at the heart of it all – a friendship that got its start nearly three decades ago at DePauw University.

“I knew I wanted to go to a smaller school,” says Matt DeLeon ’02. At the time, the Ohio native was looking for a place to continue his running career and challenge himself in the classroom. But he was also looking for a college environment shaped by deep friendship and camaraderie.

“On my first visit to campus, I sat with the cross country team during a dinner at Marvin’s,” he recalls. “One of the guys on the team started stuffing an entire burrito into his mouth, and it ended up coming out through his nose. That’s when I knew this was the type of team I wanted to be a part of.”

For DeLeon, this unfiltered moment revealed the chemistry he was looking for. He already knew DePauw was a place where he could compete at a high level and pursue his academic goals. Now he saw it as a place where he could also forge lasting relationships with a new community of peers and teammates – one of whom would turn out to be Eric Fruth ’02.

Originally from La Porte, Ind., Fruth’s initial exposure to DePauw came by way of an older brother who attended Wabash (and who incidentally may or may not have been involved in the 1998 heist of the Monon Bell). Although Fruth never witnessed any revelatory burrito heroics at Marvin’s, the more he learned about the university down the road from his brother, the more he found himself drawn to it – especially by its young new track and cross country coach Kori Stoffregen. Fruth was ambitious about developing as a runner, and he saw Stoffregen as the ideal mentor to help him do it.

For the next four years, DeLeon and Fruth spent countless hours competing together as teammates and – after both of them landed on English writing as their major – studying together as classmates. Theirs was a friendship shaped by long runs through the hills of Putnam County, long bus rides to meets around the nation and long papers that taught them both how to communicate with clarity and precision. Without realizing it, they were forming a dynamic partnership laying a robust foundation for what was to come.

Looking back, they don’t recall when they first discussed the idea of opening a running store. Fruth recalls talking about it during their senior year at DePauw; DeLeon thinks it came up about six months after graduation. In any case, they both agree about what prompted the conversation. “We both loved running and wanted to be more involved with it.”

Driven by that love, the two friends wasted little time in translating their ambition into action. Although DeLeon had initially taken a job in Japan after graduation, he soon moved back to the U.S. and landed a position at a running store in Philadelphia. He soaked up all he could, learning the ins and outs of the business from owners who were generous enough to share their notes and insights.

Meanwhile, Fruth chose to stick around DePauw for two additional years, serving as a graduate assistant and recruiter on Stoffregen’s coaching staff. He also used the time to work on a master’s degree and make intentional connections with people throughout the running industry. Although the two of them lived several states apart, they remained united in their hunger to learn and their dedication to build something special from the ground up.

“We tried to approach this from as many angles as we could,” says Fruth. “We got a business plan together, and we started shopping it around to banks and investors.” They also started looking for a geographical area where they could plant roots and bring value to the community – something they soon found in Columbus, Ohio.

Yet as their plans for a new running store started to come into focus, so did their awareness of the challenges they were up against.

“Breaking into the running industry proved to be very difficult for us,” DeLeon recalls. They encountered resistance from competitors as well as challenges in securing contracts with big brands to sell their products. But that didn’t stop them from pressing forward. “We were confident that we could make it work. Our goal was to have a small running store, run a lot, teach people about running and get involved in the community.”

Before long, the newly launched Columbus Running Company was doing just that, thanks in large part to a business model that prioritized human connection and refused to limit itself to a zero-sum mentality. Inspired by a mentor who insisted that any successful scenario in business has to be a win-win, Fruth and DeLeon kept their focus on the positive outcome of growing a network of people united by a shared passion.

“We were told by one of the brands that initially rejected us that the running population is a pie, and they can only cut so many slices,” says Fruth. “But our argument was: let’s just make a bigger pie.”

Two decades later, that mindset has paid off. CRC now works with all the biggest brands in the industry, it employs over 50 staff members who are aligned with the company’s values, and it regularly plays a meaningful role in changing people’s lives. Fruth and DeLeon have been fortunate enough to see many of these transformations first-hand. Like the man who originally came in to get shoes but then found out about group runs and is now 100 pounds lighter. Or the athlete in one of CRC’s recent youth races whose parents met on a group run fifteen years before. Or even DeLeon’s own daughter, who has recently joined the company’s youth running club.

Stories like these illustrate the true nature of CRC’s success. They also reflect the unique way in which the company’s impact on the community has become an extension of the relationship between its owners.

“None of this happens with just one of us,” says Fruth. “The fact that we have very different skill sets that we can bring to the business has really helped us. What he handles well, I’d do very poorly with, and it would stress me out beyond belief. It’s a natural partnership.”

DeLeon agrees. “I’ve had people tell me that we’re very fortunate that we get along so well. That’s hard in business, especially for 20 years. But we were best friends in college, and we’ve found that to be an easy transition to business.”

As Columbus Running Company continues to grow and expand its reach, DeLeon and Fruth are keeping their focus exactly where it’s always been. One of the key questions they’re continuing to ask themselves is, “How do we scale this model so we can still have connection with the community?” All these years later, their love for running and passion for service remain at the heart of their strategic outlook.

That consistency is exactly why their former coach Kori Stoffregen – who remains at the helm of DePauw’s track and cross country programs – has always been a believer in their potential. “Those two guys are go-getters,” he says. “They have a passion for running and for helping the local community, and it’s really fun to see how they’ve grown. I couldn’t be more proud or more excited for them. The success they’ve had with their company doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

Stoffregen thinks others can benefit from their example as well, particularly by seeing how it demonstrates the climate of possibility that exists at DePauw. “That’s a story I tell over and over again in the recruiting process. If you’re a student who is coming here undecided, you don’t need to be stressed out. You will find your way and be able to do just about anything.”

DeLeon and Fruth are just two of the many DePauw alumni who have proven this to be true. And although there have been many influences helping them get to where they are today, they both credit DePauw for giving them confidence they needed to start this journey.

“DePauw has made a massive impact on us,” says Fruth. “To this day, we’re constantly talking the school up. We wouldn’t have had the same experience if we had gone somewhere else.”

Eric Fruth has been selected as a member of the 2025 Athletics Hall of Fame Class. He will be inducted on November 8.