This is because selected Tekkie Town stores across South Africa have been revamped to stock performance sports products – the Spine Range – including road running , trail running , football and court footwear and clothing ranges , from several leading brands , as well as dedicated staff with the required knowledge and experience to help you choose the best product for your sporting needs . You ’ ll still find entry-level buys , but these stores now offer a much bigger range to choose from , including higher-spec , more technical running shoes , and all still with the value-formoney pricing that Tekkie Town has is known for .

Two lucky Modern Athlete readers recently got to experience this new range and service first-hand , thanks to a competition run in conjunction with Tekkie Town . The prize for each winner was a R5000 voucher to spend in store , and out of the many , many entries we received , the two names drawn were Lerato Sedibe of Johannesburg and Clinton Meyer of Cape Town . Our two ecstatic winners couldn ’ t wait to go shopping , and we tagged along to see for ourselves what the Spine Range is all about .

Lerato ’ s Learning Experience

Accompanied by Modern Athlete Marketing Director , Roxanne Martin , Lerato headed to the Retail Crossing store in Johannesburg . Funnily enough , she had bought her first running shoes at this store , but had not been back again , and she was impressed with the changes . “ I couldn ’ t believe my eyes when I walked in , the store has changed so much . It ’ s nice to see how much Tekkie Town is investing in running ,” she said .

The Spine Running Range is the first thing you see when you walk in , and the wall of shoes catering to both men and women features a number of brands and models , so you have a lot of choice . Also , having three sales staff ask if they could assist was really impressive , and when Roxanne explained that Lerato was the R5000 winner , the VIP treatment began . The Spine Specialist , Siya , went to work , asking Lerato about her running as well as any wear and tear on her current shoes , to help determine her running style and needs .

After trying on what felt like a hundred pairs , with Siya expertly explaining the benefits of the tech in each shoe , and then running around the store to try them properly , it came down to a hard choice for Lerato between a pair of Under Armours and pair of Brooks . She eventually settled on Under Armour , and said , “ I struggle with the different terms in running , especially when it comes to running shoes , but Siya really helped me understand a lot , not only about my running , but how different brands will work or not work for me . Thank you for such great service , and a wonderful prize !”

Retail Research for Clinton

Meanwhile , Clinton met up with Modern Athlete Editor Sean Falconer at the Somerset Mall Tekkie Town , and once again , the staff could not have been more helpful . Clinton is an experienced runner , having done many marathons and ultras on both road and tar , including Comrades and Two Oceans , but admits that he doesn ’ t know all that much about running shoes . “ I ’ ve always just relied on the sales people to put me in the right shoes ,” he says .

Fortunately , Spine Specialist Nasief was on hand to help , and soon had a whole range of road shoes in Clinton ’ s size for trying on , followed by a repeat process on the other side of the shoe wall with the trail shoes , all accompanied by expert advice on fit , tech , pronation , support and more .

Clinton says he likes to gather info and then think about it before buying , but promised he ’ d be back in-store soon to close the deal . “ I ’ ll go online and look through all the models I tried on today , then make a decision . There are some great shoes to choose from , the expert service was great , and thanks to this voucher , I can take both a road and trail pair . What a prize !”

WINNERS

Winner Clinton Meyer with Spine Range Specialist Nasief in Somerset West

WINNERS

Winner Lerato Sedibe getting expert help from Tekkie Town ’ s expert , Siya , in Johannesburg

Images : Sean Falconer , Roxanne Martin & courtesy Tekkie Town