Meet the Staff
Our staff has a passion for running that's unparalleled totalling over 130 years of running experience, including two Arkansas Hall of Famers. So when it comes to assisting you with finding the perfect fitting running shoe, our staff is highly skilled and knowledgeable. Learn more about us below.
Staff Profiles
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Bill Torrey
Mr. Race Maker. Bill needs no introduction to most Arkansas runners. He has played a major role in developing road running and racing in Arkansas. He has devoted countless hours planning, staging and directing races. Races that Bill has directed include the Capital City Classic, Race for the Cure, the Little Rock Marathon, and Easy Runner’s Firecracker Fast 5 K. The list goes on and on, yet somehow he has found time to run a 2 hour 42 minute marathon and a 34 minute 10K. Bill has worked at Easy Runner for 4 years. Come by Easy Runner and meet Arkansas’s number one race maker, Bill Torrey.
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Gary Smith
In the mid-70s a passion for running turned into an occupation for Gary Smith. Smith opened the first running store in Arkansas. He has seen the evolution of the running shoe from simple waffles to the highly technical shoes of today. Over the years Smith developed his own method of fitting shoes, studying shoe construction and matching the right shoe to each person’s biomechanical needs. His Easy Runner employees exhibit the same attention to detail, using the same approach with each customer. After 35 years in the running shoe business, Gary Smith has earned the title of Little Rock’s “Shoe Guru.”
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Jim Sweatt
Jim is a native of Pine Bluff and is a retired school teacher. He has worked at Easy Runner for 5 years and is Easy Runner’s resident ultra runner. He can answer all your questions about apparel, water packs, energy gels, and trail shoes. Jim has run in 80-90 ultra events ranging from 50 to 100 milers and 3 day stage races. He knows how you can run through the night and sleep at the same time! And he can tell you how you can consume 85 packs of Gu during a 100 miler! Stop by and meet Jim.
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Leah Thorvilson
Leah grew up in Robinsdale, Minnesota. She moved to Little Rock where she ran for UALR. There she won a Sunbelt Conference title, was named to the Sunbelt Conference Commissioner’s list and achieved All Region in Cross Country. Leah began working at Easy Runner when she was a student at UALR.
To date the following are some of Leah’s marathon victories: Little Rock Marathon 2009, 2010 and 2011; St. Jude’s Marathon 2010; Tupelo Marathon 2008, 2009 and 2010; Disney World Marathon 2010; Fargo Marathon 2010; Run for the Ranch Marathon, Lovit Trail Marathon and Mid South Marathon. She is swift , but the most refreshing thing about Leah is that she has so much fun with her running. It is contagious and this is the special gift she gives us all! We wish Leah much success in the 2012 Women’s Marathon Trials in Houston, TX. Wonder if she will wear her Tinker Bell costume?
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Lou Peyton
Lou was Gary Smith’s first employee at Arkansas’s first running store on Kavanaugh Boulevard in Little Rock. She is still with Gary at Easy Runner and is a dear friend. Lou’s running accomplishments are awesome! She has run countless road races. She won the first Firecracker race, is one of the first Arkansas women to qualify for the Boston Marathon, she has run 50 marathons, and to top that off, 21 trail 100 milers and is the first Arkansas woman to complete the Grand Slam of trail ultras. In addition to being a participant in many races, Lou and her husband Charlie have given back to running by encouraging runners and directing and volunteering in numerous trail races and road races. When asked about her current running experiences, Lou answered, “Running today is just icing on the cake!” Please stop by to meet this living running legend of Little Rock.
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Timothy Wistrand
Timothy Lucas Wistrand was born in Franklin, Nebraska in 1984 and grew up in Little Flock, Arkansas. His parents entered him in his first race which was a 5k in 1988 (Age 4) at Cave Springs. His passion for running grew as he raced in AAU events, Hershey nationals, and trained with his family every morning. He then competed collegiately at the University of Central Arkansas and was a letter winner. After graduating from UCA with a B.A. in Digital Filmmaking, he spent the past year on a feature length documentary The Natural State of America. Growing up with a running family and working for Gary Smith for the past 6 years has allowed him to have first hand knowledge on running injuries, proper equipment, and video analysis. Timothy currently lives in Little Rock, Arkansas near a track he likes to run around.
