Mark Allard Tribute

In 2012, I decided I wanted to do a Thanksgiving Day run in the Southpoint area of Durham.  I approached Mark Allard, own of the Durham New Balance store at Renaissance Center, about becoming a sponsor of the run.  He agreed to sponsor and wanted to know what he had to do to become the Title Sponsor.  I told him and he signed on.  For the next 13 years, Mark and New Balance were an ideal Title Sponsor and the relationship rolled over from year to year.  

This event became known as the New Balance Thanksgiving Day 8K and 5K.  In the summer of 2024, Mark closed the Durham store and sold his Raleigh store, retiring from the athletic shoe business.  He was very excited when he learned Fleet Feet had taken over as Title Sponsor in 2024.  I called Mark moments before the start of the 2024 event to remind him it was the first Thanksgiving Day morning we had not spent together in 13 years.

A couple of weeks later, Mark was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.  He passed away September 9, 2025