(NECN) - As a former All American in cross country at the University of Virginia and a qualifier at Olympic trials in 1996, Colin Peddie is passionate about running.

After realizing he wouldn't be able to run professionally, he followed his passion in muscle therapy, going back to school for a degree and owning a successful practice.

But when the chance to buy Marathon Sports came up, he and his wife jumped at the opportunity.

The company had endured some hard times, but under Peddie's new leadership, it has thrived. Marathon Sports most recently took over two stores in Connecticut, and has taken the steps necessary to secure its values as it expands.

"I'm challenging myself to see if I have the leadership skills and the skill set to take what we have in Boston here and teach a general manager down there to do what we do," Peddie said. "We actually recently redid our core values to ensure each decision we make doesn't compromise our attention to customer service."

For more on Peddie's plans for Marathon Sports' future, watch the video above.