A Running Start was founded in May, 2004, by Sorita Averill, an avid runner and marathoner. Sorita moved to Pennsylvania in 1987. She worked as an office manager at a Philadelphia architectural firm for 2 years, leaving to take a position with SmithKline Beecham (now Glaxo SmithKline) in Human Resources, where she established and conducted training programs and managed accounts.

During this period, she earned both a Bachelor's (Cabrini College) and Master's degree (University of Pennsylvania) in Organizational Management. In 2000, Sorita left the pharmaceutical industry to pursue a sales career, initially with NCR and later with Paxar, where she received numerous sales awards and designations.

In 2004, she left the corporate world to pursue her dream of opening a customer-friendly, service-oriented running store. A Running Start has since become a leader in the retail running business by offering professional service and top quality merchandise.