Shoe Science Havelock North - Niel Boshoff

Supporting Hawkes Bay Runners since 2021

Another week down and a whole lot has been going down. The big news is Andrew had started Badwater 135 and is close to 60 miles in. Go Corkey (his nickname in the Army). We will have him in the interview line when he returns from an epic adventure.

For those that don’t know Puketapu Night run is on next weekend (Friday 2 August). I was hoping to get someone for a chat for next week but time is running out. It’s a great little fundraiser for the local school. Find more info at Puketapu Night run.

I managed to get to parkrun Waipukurau for the first time in a while (before work so didn’t run, but got to help set up) and caught up with my buddy Kim from CMF running. The times I have spent at parkrun over the last two years have been great for my running and also the community links.

Russell Park - Flaxmere - Anderson Park

When I started my running journey I didn't really know where to start. I lived outside a rural town, didn't know run groups were a thing, had never heard of parkrun and didn't know that trail running was a sport. I had run at school - because we had to. I had done cross country, track and harriers. Running however was a means to get fit for sport. That continued in my 22 year career in the military. I remember getting a pair of Brooks Glycerin 4 some time in the early 90s. I started running again in my early 40s in a pair of shoes my mate had given me because he said I was fat - I cannot even remember what they were. Seems strange as I did run for all those years - the shoes were just not important. Oh how that has changed. Niel had just opened his store in Havelock North, and I happened to call in looking for a shoe. A very specific running shoe, one that I could run in. Little did I know that 4 years later I would consider myself an Ultra Runner, Coach and shoe virtuoso. I now dont know how I survived buying shoes without an expert helping me. But I’ve also learnt that a running specialist store is more than just a shoe store - but let’s not steal Niels thunder. It’s important to note that when reading this anything following ‘Niel’ you need to read in your inner South African accent.

Anyway enough intro, we are here to talk to Niel Boshoff, the owner of Shoe Science Havelock North about his running journey, thoughts on life and the Hawke’s Bay running community. I have pestered him all week about this so I appreciate his time in answering my questions. So here is Niel. Lets start with a bit of his personal running story.

Niel. My running story starts way back in primary school. Two of my sisters competed at national level and they were very good.  I just enjoyed getting out. We had a very good cross country coach and that was what I enjoyed most. We ran 5 or 6 days a week in primary school.  After finishing school I concentrated on other sports like Golf/Cricket. 

We moved to New Zealand in 2009.  In 2011 I was offered the opportunity to work at Shoe Science Newmarket.  After 10 years of not running, I fell in love with it again.  It is an easy thing to do working in a running store. Thinking about back then, I thought a half marathon was a long way to go but then you work with customers running marathons, Ultra marathons and even 100 miles and beyond. And that is where I get my inspiration from. 

What is your Shoe Science journey?

Niel. I started as a technician in 2011 and worked my way up to manage the newmarket store for a year or two. It was a great opportunity to work in the Newmarket store as it is one of the oldest running stores in the country and a very busy store. 

We relocated overseas in 2014. As a family we enjoyed our time in New Zealand and missed it whilst away. We returned back to New Zealand in 2016. When we returned to New Zealand in 2016 my wife and I were offered the opportunity to buy Shoe Science in Mt Eden. It was a daunting task but a big opportunity. We saw some good growth at the Mt Eden store and really enjoyed the journey. In 2018, the franchise owner got in touch as he was looking to sell the Newmarket store. Being 2 km from the Mt Eden store it was a no brainer for us to buy the flagship Shoe Science Store.  

Why Havelock North?

Niel. My Wife and I had a very busy life in Auckland. We both grew up in a smaller community back in South Africa. She was working as a Chartered Accountant at a very busy firm and I was looking after the day to day activities of the stores. After a busy day in store and at work, we had to catch up on all the financial and admin tasks. In Between this busy life we had 2 little ones growing up. We always knew we wanted to be part of a smaller community as a family. 

We saw the potential of opening a proper running store in the Hawke’s Bay and at the same time make the lifestyle change we wanted. At the time we didn’t many options as Havelock had absolutely no vacant retail spaces. The current location in Havelock came across our paths and we are very happy it did. We love the Hawke’s Bay and now have a 2 minute commute instead of the hour or 2 we were spending on the road in Auckland.  

What is a speciality running shoe store to you?

Niel. A running specialty store is way more than just selling running shoes. We love helping customers achieve their goals. It doesn’t matter how small or how big. From walkers to runners. We have customers from all walks of life.  

We want to bring something to the community and make a difference.  No better feeling if a customer walks by the shop and pops in to say thank you for helping me on my fitness journey.  Whether it is to be to be able to walk after a big operation or smashing out a personal best on a marathon. 

What is your product?

Niel. Our core business is selling walking and running shoes.  And we love doing it as we are walkers and runners ourselves. We had a customer the other day that said it was more than just swapping money for shoes, its the whole package of advise and expertise rolled into one. [Thanks Nick] In Havelock we also saw the opportunity to stock a bigger range of lifestyle products.  

What does this store (Shoe Science Havelock North) do, what makes it special?

Niel. Special? Definitely the community.  We opened Havelock 3 years ago and it feels like we’ve been here for a long time. We are part of the community and like to give back as well.  We sponsor local athletes to make sure we support local.

What we do is professionally fit running shoes (we do other shoes as well -but running is our speciality) to individuals. We work out what they need and why they need it and match that with the correct shoe for their gait/biomechanics or running style. A shoe that’s great for one person is not necessarily good for the next, if it was we would only sell that one brand. We pride ourselves on knowing about the shoes, training demands, bodies and feet and also the wide range of uses. There are not many events or places to run that we do not either have first hand experience in or knowledge of. We use a Shoe Science method Fit360° method to ensure we get things as right as possible.

If you didn’t know there is a Shoe Science/Peak Fitness run club in Havelock North on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 PM 5:30 pm

Why Run Club?

Niel. Run Club is just another layer to be involved with someone's running journey.  We talk to runners on a daily basis. Some will be new to the sport and some will be running for years.  Running as a sport has grown enormously after Covid. Run Club gives us the opportunity to grow with runners and enjoy the process with them. Its community, its people, its experience rubbing shoulders with inexperience and its good chats.

What events do you support and what does the future look like?

Niel. We are very excited to be sponsoring the River-Run Backyard Ultra in October.  It is a format that is growing enormously and a great bunch of people behind it that do it for the love of running. Helping them out is important to us.  

We are also extremely excited to be onboard and will be Sponsoring Peak Trailblazers for the next 3 years. 

So we know that you support runners and their feet. What are your running goals/events coming up?

Niel. I’ve done quite a few Ultra marathons in the past. Two event types stand out for me. I’ve never run a backyard ultra or a full road marathon. Being involved with River-Run backyard Ultra is an awesome opportunity to support local so I’ll get out there and run a few yards. [Kendall. I say a minimum of 10 but who’s counting anyway.]  And then a full road marathon at some time this year as well. 

Back to shoes, what is the future of shoes - trail, road, cross over?

Niel. The industry is forever evolving. I’ve never seen this much change in running shoes as we’ve experienced the last few years. And it is a trend that will continue in the future. It’s exciting and demanding to keep up with the change and manufacturers/brands are constantly in a battle with each other. The current trend is to chase each other down the carbon plate long run path for road shoes, which can be good and bad - it’s all about the right shoe for the individual and their needs. The trail market is just as diverse but here we see companies finding their only little niche markets. It’s a great time to be involved in the industry and sell some really great products to people, enabling them to get out there and either be healthy or crush goals.

What other partnerships do you have?

Niel. In Auckland we sponsor the biggest series in the country called the Shoe Science half marathon series. 5 amazing events with 5 spectacular locations.  

We are also the shoe sponsor for Xterra in Auckland which consist of 6 different trail/offroad locations around Auckland. 

And of course we have a few Super Ambassadors doing amazing things on the trails around the country.

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So that’s it really, a bit of a round up on Shoe Science and its personality in Havelock North. It’s important to note that I work for Niel in the store (so I can support my shoe and running habit). Call in and have a chat, it’s great to know who’s about, out there running in our community. Make sure if you have something that you think I should cover or something I’ve missed in this or other substack entries do please comment and let me know.