Austin Fit Magazine > Articles > AFM > Voices: Fleet Feet Operating Partner Ari Perez Is The City’s Best Community-Run Connector

Voices: Fleet Feet Operating Partner Ari Perez Is The City’s Best Community-Run Connector

The 37-year-old Corpus Christi native is a trusted confidante for a community of runners in Central Texas and has built a shared space to share connection.

By Cory Mull – December 24, 2025

Ari Perez, 37, is the operating partner at Fleet Feet in Austin. Photo Credit: Cory Mull/Austin Fit Magazine

AUSTIN, Texas—If you’ve ever been to the Fleet Feet store at the Seaholm District before dawn on a Friday morning, you’ve met Ari Perez.

He’s the guy most willing to steer you in the right direction.

With his mop of long black hair, easy laugh and big bright smile, he’s connected thousands of Austin-area residents toward their next runs, whether by virtue of routes along Lady Bird Lake, or toward any of the nearby system of trails that connect Central Texas together.

By day, the 37-year-old is an operating partner at Fleet Feet and oversees three brick and mortar stores across Austin. But over most mornings and nights, he’s often wherever the next run club takes him, flanked by a sea of friends and colleagues.

And it’s perhaps this community-driven work that’s driven the most eyes and ears toward Perez, from pop-up runs at Fleet Feet to a recently successful Summer Series program that saw thousands of runners show up in the heat for a series of casual runs around the city.

By his estimate, Perez has joined more than 50 club runs over his more than decade-long tenure in Austin, which began in 2014 when he started his role at the Fleet Feet store in Seaholm. Since that time, he’s etched presence across the region, appearing in Austin races dressed as a hot dog, a banana, and even a goat. At Fleet Feet, he partners with global brands and local entities to ensure the Austin community is getting what they need most: fitness wherever and whenever the mood strikes.

The Corpus Christi native is the son of an Army veteran and the youngest of three siblings, a lifelong runner who won a state team title at Corpus Christi King High School in 2005 before competing as a steeplechaser at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

When he put his competitive spikes down and joined hobby-joggers nationwide, it was just a reminder to him, he says, that life keeps going–however fast it takes you there.

Today, he shares spaces and stories with his fellow runners, reveling in the next run, the next race, and the next post-event beer. Supporting this community, he says, is the gift that keeps on giving. We sat down with Perez recently for our latest Voices segment.

A Little History On Fleet Feet Operating Partner Ari Perez

Austin Fit Magazine: Can you tell me a little bit about your story? Where are you from? \

Ari Perez: I grew up in Corpus Christi–thankfully just three hours away–and that’s where the majority of my family is now and still resides. I was there once my dad retired from the Army back in 1995 and stayed in Corpus Christi from first grade all the way through college, where I went to Texas A&M Corpus and ran cross country and track for the university as well.

Austin Fit Magazine: What’s your running history and background?

Ari Perez: So my background with running basically started in the second grade. I have an older brother and sister that were both athletic and so I kind of fell in tow with my siblings. I think the first race I ever ran was Beach to Bay, which is a six person marathon relay that takes place in Corpus Christi. And from that time, it basically became a summer routine for me, from summer track to rec league basketball and that turned into middle school and high school sports and then college.

Austin Fit Magazine: What does running mean to you right now?

Ari Perez: Running means a lot to me, and it always has. It’s easy enough for me to say, having grown up and around the sport for so long. I really don’t like talking about my own running that much. I would kind of share the space with others and just share those life stories. Those competitive years of mine, the previous chapters of my life, it was a pretty sharp edge. It was great and awesome, but knowing that chapter is behind me, running means something different to me these days. I really like to see people get fired up about their own wellness journeys and their competitive sides. But then again, as I think I mentioned to you Cory, I try to make sure I get a little bit of something every day, so I definitely come back to the sport every day.

Ari Perez’s Mission Is All About Connecting With Community

Austin Fit Magazine: You’ve seen every stage of this sport, from learning the sport, being super competitive in the sport, being a collegiate athlete in the sport and then competing beyond college. Then you get into the running industry. How has that shaped what you do today and what you have done with the community?

Ari Perez: It very much introduced me to a different end of the spectrum. I was fortunate enough to run in college, but I also had a part-time job at my local Fleet Feet. You get to help people with what we do and what we still do here in Austin. I think it very much as a learning lesson in terms of the sport being more than what I knew it to be, which is very beautiful. At that point I was just 19, a kid with a mohawk who just liked basketball and running shoes and running. But I figured out this could be a career path.

Austin Fit Magazine: Austin – and the greater Central Texas region – is a great place for people who are in the community. Not just runners, either, but those who are inspired by wellness and fitness. You’re a big part of that community, and you often see all of these things take place. What does being a part of that community represent to you?

Ari Perez: I think being part of the community is and always will be really inspiring for me. I have my bad days. I have my ups and my downs. The coolest part for me is being able to just be a small piece of this bigger, beautiful thing. This community moves, man, and it’s really cool to see. It’s just cool to see individuals really take care of themselves, make it a part of their lifestyles over any moment. I also want to create a safe space that’s welcoming and allows people to have an outlet for regular day stresses. For me, I’m always thinking about that run club that’s around the corner, the place where I can go out and run, have a drink after, and just show up for. It makes me much more grateful whenever I am able to have those times and those opportunities to be present.

Engagement, Outreach And Effecting Community

Austin Fit Magazine: You obviously have a history of engaging with people in fun ways–by wearing costumes during annual races around Austin. Are there moments that have been memorable to you?

Ari Perez: There are plenty. Being the repertoire of having a goat costume, a hot dog costume, a banana costume. I’ve run in a chicken costume, just like whatever, right? I really like taking it to the 10th degree. Sometimes it’s just this. I’m going to hang out with my friends and cheer them on, because it’s important for me, too. I want to make sure I’m there for them, gassing them up and being present. I like bringing the energy. Being able to be out there and be a part of it and high five individuals, I wake up for that type of energy.

Austin Fit Magazine: Can you describe your work here at Fleet Feet? It’s evolved over time, but what are some of the things that you feel are important in this role?

Ari Perez: We’ve had a level of growth to where I’m able to balance and support and hopefully grow the three locations that are here locally. My role is similar to what I do on the sidelines, like if I can get in the race and roll if we need to, get my hands dirty and pick up the broom and take out the trash. But I also love helping customers, it’s what I love to do. I’m fired up to show people, teach people about the latest products that we have. That’s just the dork side of me. That this is the coolest job ever. But I want to be a good teammate, whether that’s being a community-run leader or being a great teammate for our partner vendors, or even the new hires and our managers. Every single part of this thing to me is about being a good teammate and pulling my weight and leading when I need to and picking people up whenever they’re down.

Austin Fit Magazine: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Ari Perez: I’m just grateful, I’m honored, and I’m humbled to answer the bell every day. I think collectively, there’s a beauty to this industry.

Have a story to tell? If you’d like to be a part of our Voices series, email Cory Mull at comulles@gmail.com.