Part shoe store, part clubhouse, part museum and a new front door for the Boston Marathon

A few blocks from the finish line and even closer to the spot where the second bomb exploded during the 2013 Boston Marathon, race organizers are building a combination clubhouse, interactive museum and retail store that, for the first time, gives them a year-round, public presence.

The Boston RunBase scheduled to open April 16 will allow visitors to learn about the world's most prestigious road race, run a replica of the course on a treadmill or see artifacts from its 118-year history.

It will give runners a place to gather before going for a jog by the Charles River, and then shower and change before heading back to work or to the convention center across the street.

If they want to pick up a pair of shoes or a Boston Marathon jacket, they can do that, too.