People are literally running out the door at Fontana Sports Specialties — the venerable, locally owned outdoor store on Henry Street, directly off of Madison’s State Street — but the exodus is for a cause.
Each week, starting in the spring and running through the fall, Fontana hosts a Wednesday run for $5 per person, with the proceeds going to some of Madison’s well-known nonprofit organizations. The regular event debuted in 2025, and plans are for it to continue.
“For decades Fontana Sports has taken pride in getting people outdoors and supporting our community,” said owner Elizabeth Ganser, whose grandparents started the business in the southern Wisconsin town of Fontana, back in 1949, originally as a military surplus store.
“The weekly $5 5K was an idea to show people you can absolutely get outdoors and be active in a downtown setting. There’s no better setting than our downtown Madison,” Ganser said. “Anytime we can get people outdoors doing something active that promotes community, it’s a great win.”
The Fontana Run, which begins at 5:30 p.m. every Wednesday from Fontana’s storefront at 216 N. Henry St., started May 7 as a fundraiser for the Groundswell Conservancy, whose mission is to preserve and protect natural green places in Wisconsin. From there, Ganser’s store hosted runs to benefit other area environmental groups such as the Ice Age Trail Alliance, the River Alliance of Wisconsin and the Clean Lakes Alliance.
“I wanted to come up with an outdoor activity that would get our community together near Fontana Sports,” said Ganser, who took over the business from her parents, John and Judith, in 2020, after having worked full time at Fontana since 2005.
“Running made sense as we carry running shoes and apparel, and downtown Madison is a beautiful place to run all year long. When I come up with Fontana Sports events, I always try to have a nonprofit portion of it.”
Numerous businesses in the community host creative fundraising events tied to athletics. Ryan Griessmeyer’s Race Day Events regularly utilizes volunteers to help with races and triathlons, paying each volunteer $20, as long as the money goes toward nonprofits such as high school cross country teams. M3 Insurance has its annual Dig ‘N’ Donate volleyball fundraiser with proceeds going to the United Way.
And nonprofits themselves, like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (now called Blood Cancer United), is one of many that use athletic events as major fundraising tools. The group raises money to find cures and access to treatment for blood cancer patients through its Team in Training program, which has participants running marathons, hiking and biking for the cause.
Fontana started working with environmental nonprofits first, and has since expanded to offer aid to other organizations like the Dane County Humane Society, Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin, Centro Hispano of Dane County, FairShare CSA Coalition and Active Youth Wisconsin.
In total, nine nonprofit organizations will be helped by Fontana this year and each month there has been a new corporate sponsor that is affiliated with the store’s merchandise, including the North Face, Brooks, Birkenstock, On, Chaco and Kizik. The On shoe company had a technical representative at one of the recent events, providing the opportunity for runners to test run its shoes during the Fontana Run.
Centro Hispano was especially tenacious in its fundraising effort, drawing over 60 participants to sign up to run or walk the 5K route.
“The core of Centro’s mission is community, togetherness and a focus on what is possible when we partner for the betterment of families,” said Bianca Baker, events specialist at Centro. “This (run) is an opportunity for families to come together and show what it means to be part of Centro.
“We are incredibly grateful to Fontana Sports for their collaboration to help make this 5K possible. We are blessed to live in a caring, compassionate community where people understand the value of belonging and live with a shared purpose.”
Baker said before the event that participants were looking forward to lacing up their shoes and “enjoying some physical fitness and fun for Centro.”
The current route of the Fontana run takes advantage of the unique beauty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, which borders Lake Mendota.
The participants first stroll down State Street until its intersection with Broom. Then the runners take off, veering right to the end of Lake Street, waving to the Bucky statue by the Wisconsin Alumni House and continuing past the Memorial Union Terrace with its stellar lake view. They jog by the Hoofers headquarters, past the Hasler Limnology (the study of lakes) Building and Laboratory, and onto the Lakeshore Path.
From there the group proceeds to the end of Lakeshore Path, before doubling back and pausing for a group photo back at the Bucky statue.
For many of the runners, pairing an athletic activity with support for local organizations is a natural fit.
“I have really enjoyed participating in the weekly Fontana runs because it’s a very easy way to give back to the community while doing something I love,” said Hanna Ballard, a UW-Madison master’s student who is teaching Spanish literature on campus. “I am very passionate about many of the causes that the sponsoring charities support, and I love being able to support them in such an easy and fun way.”
And the weekly events align with her passions, she said.
“I’ve always been a huge supporter of environmental nonprofits in Madison, so being able to monetarily support organizations like the Ice Age Trail Alliance was definitely a big influence in my decision to start attending runs at Fontana,” Ballard said. “I love hiking and running on the Ice Age Trail and I love seeing the hard work that the Ice Age Trail Alliance puts in to maintain it and protect it.”
Editor’s note: Scott Ball works at Fontana Sports and helps lead the Fontana Run.
