ASICS America named presenting sponsor of the 2012 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships!, release, note by Larry Eder

Spikes, Foot Locker XC, photo by PhotoRun.net

The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships have given three generations of American distance runners chances to reach the pinnacle of American prep cross country running. Simple in style: get to the regional race, finish in the top seven and move to the final. That simple, that straight. Good old fashioned cross country racing, the soul of our sport. 

FootLocker 2011 CC, photo by PhotoRun.net

ASICS America has become presenting sponsor for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. This continues to show ASICS America’s focus and recommitment to the varied cultures within our sport. If one purports to be a performance running brand, sponsoring events and athletes is part of the complex picture that gives meaning to a brand. The great brands get that notion. 

Clare Carroll, FL 2011, photo by PhotoRun.net

From the ING NYCM marathon to Big Sur Marathon, to the Foot Locker Cross Country, ASICS has picked properties that show their commitment to the sport. It is also interesting to note that ASICS athletes like Ryan Hall and Sara Hall were all past competitors in Foot Locker Cross Country. 

Numbers, Foot Locker XC, photo by PhotoRun.net

Suzi Favor Hamilton, Bob Kennedy, Todd Williams, Adam Goucher, Alan Webb, Kara Goucher, Meb Keflezighi, Dathan Ritzenhein, to name a few, have run at Foot Locker. 

And every kid there, all 10,000 of them, know that they are racing in the foot steps of great American distance runners. They want to be the next great one. That is the Horatio Alger part of the Foot Locker Cross Country. 

If a kid from North Dakota shows up at the regional, after months of great training, and finishes in the top seven, they are going to racing in San Diego in the Foot Locker Nationals. Enough said. Months and months of training, and years of dreams. 

Karlie Garcia, FL 2011, photo by PhotoRun.net 

When the series started as the Kinney in 1979, few knew that the Foot Locker would become the longest continuous prep cross country championship series in our sport. 

That is the power of the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships…

Foot Locker and ASICS Continue Running Support

ASICS Named Presenting Sponsor of the 2012 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships

Contact:   Gabriella Citrin                                                       Melinda Hutcheon

                 Foot Locker, Inc.                                                    ASICS America

                 212.720.3752 / 917.903.3614(cell)                       949.727.7158 / 949.266.7029(cell)

New York, October 18, 2012– Foot Locker announced today that ASICS will be the presenting sponsor and official apparel, footwear and accessories provider for the 2012  Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. 

The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships is the longest running national high school cross country race.  The four regional races held in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West bring more than 10,000 of the nation’s leading high school runners together for the chance to qualify for the National Finals.  The Northeast, Midwest, and South regional races will be held on Saturday, November 24, while the West regional will take place on Saturday, December 1.  The Finals will be held on Saturday, December 8 in San Diego, Calif.

“ASICS is a top choice for runners and we are excited to partner with a company that shares our vision and passion for the sport of running, especially at the grassroots level,” said Jeanine Zocks, vice president of strategic alliance and events, Foot Locker. “We truly value and appreciate what the ASICS brand represents and the first-rate experience they will deliver to the young runners participating in our meets. We are looking forward to working with them on this program.”

“ASICS was founded on the principle of helping to provide direction and inspiration to youth athletes,” said Erik Forsell, vice president of marketing, ASICS America.   “Now over 60 years later, ASICS continues with this same principle that an active lifestyle will help each and every person flourish.  We are honored to join with Foot Locker in sponsoring the 2012 Cross Country Championships and provide the future of young distance runners with award winning footwear and apparel as they progress, excel and learn to STOP AT NEVER.”

The top ten finishers from each seeded regional race qualify for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals (schedule below):

Northeast       Saturday, November 24      Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, N.Y.

Midwest         Saturday, November 24      Univ. of Wisconsin-Parkside, 

Kenosha, Wisc.

South             Saturday, November 24      McAlpine Park, Charlotte, N.C.

West               Saturday, December 1        Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, 

Calif.

Finals             Saturday, December 8        Balboa Park, Morley Field, San Diego, Calif.

The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships is a stepping stone for many great runners, including the likes of Olympians Ryan Hall, Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, and 2009 ING New York City Marathon Champion Meb Keflezighi.

About ASICS America

Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, meaning “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body,” is an old Latin phrase from which ASICS is derived and the fundamental platform on which the brand still stands. The company was founded more than 60 years ago by Kihachiro Onitsuka and is now a leading designer and manufacturer of running shoes, as well as, other athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.asics.com.

About Foot Locker, Inc.

Foot Locker, Inc., operates approximately 3,350 athletic specialty retail stores in 23 countries in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.  Through its Foot Locker, Footaction, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, and CCS retail stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channel footlocker.com, Eastbay, and CCS.com, the company is the leading provider of athletic footwear and apparel.