Well, HOKA ONE ONE continues to dominate the growth in the sport of running. It is a sport, and it is a business. The companies that do well remember that running is still about selling one pair of running shoes at a time, communicating with the key influencers at small races, and at the established and succesful local running stores across the US.

I like the new additions to the HOKA ONE ONE athlete family, with Cam Levins leading the trail. I am also happy to see the daughter of Chuck Aragon, former 3:34 1,500m runner and Notre Dame grad, Danielle Aragon, going to the HOKA NJNYTC.

Mike McManus, the Global director of sports marketing at HOKA ONE ONE is a former coach and still is a very active athlete. Mike gets it and realizes that the brand he supports, needs athletes who work a bit harder than the larger brands.

One pair of running shoes at a time, that is how the business works.

Oh, and Cam Levins will be debuting as a HOKA ONE ONE athlete at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon on Sunday, January 14, 2018.

Cam Levins, photo by PhotoRun.net

HOKA ONE ONE Elite Team Adds Seven Athletes

One Olympian, three ultrarunners, and three track athletes join the roster in 2018

January 08, 2018 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

GOLETA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–HOKA ONE ONEÂ®, a division of Deckers Brands (NYSE: DECK), continues to strengthen its elite athlete team with the addition of Olympian Cam Levins and ultrarunners Ellie Greenwood, Andrea Huser and Kris Brown. In addition, the HOKA ONE ONE New Jersey*New York Track Club has added Megan Mansy, Danielle Aragon, and Rob Napolitano to the track-focused team

“With these new athletes, our ultra- and trail-running roster continues to become one of the strongest in the world, and the addition of Cam and of new NJ*NY athletes continues to solidify our presence on the road and track,” said Mike McManus, Senior Sports Marketing Manager for HOKA ONE ONE. “Not only are they great athletes, but they are great ambassadors for the sport, and we are thrilled to support their training and racing, as well as to have them representing our brand.”

A 2012 Olympian in the 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters on the track, Levins is also an NCAA champion at both distances. Levins hails from British Columbia and currently resides in Portland, Oregon. He’ll run the Houston Half Marathon in January as his first race representing HOKA.

A well-know and decorated runner on the ultrarunning circuit, Greenwood is the 2011 and 2012 Western States 100-mile champion and current course record holder. She also holds the course record at the JFK 50 Mile, won the 90-kilometer Comrades Marathon in South Africa and is a five-time winner of the competitive Chuckanut 50K. Greenwood currently resides in North Vancouver.

Huser, based in Switzerland, is the 2015 Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc champion and 2016 and 2017 UTMB runner-up. Formerly a mountain biker and a triathlete, Huser is also the 2016 and 2017 champion of Grand Raid La Reunion, a challenging 167-kilometer race on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

A resident of Santa Barbara, California, Brown had a breakout year in 2017, capped off by a fourth-place finish at the highly-competitive The North Face 50 Mile Championships; he also won the San Diego 100 and finished second at the Tamalpa Headlands 50K in Muir Beach, California.

Rounding out the HOKA ONE ONE NJ*NY Track Club, Mansy and Aragon join the team with impressive personal bests in the 1,500 meters at 4:08 and 4:12 respectively. Mansy is the school record holder at North Carolina State in the 1,500 meters and indoor mile. Aragon, a Billings, Montana, native and recent graduate of Notre Dame, is a four-time NCAA All-American. Napolitano graduated from Columbia University in 2013, and is a multi-time Ivy League champion with a 3:58 mile personal best.

About HOKA ONE ONEÂ®

HOKA ONE ONEÂ® is the fastest growing premium running shoe brand in the world. Two life-long runners launched HOKA in 2009, after years spent handcrafting and shaping lightweight shoes with extra-thick midsoles. Initially embraced by ultrarunners because of their enhanced cushioning and inherent stability, HOKA now offers shoes for all types of athletes who enjoy the unique ride the shoes provide. For more information visit hokaoneone.com or follow @hokaoneone #hokaoneone.

About Deckers Brands

Deckers Brands is a global leader in designing, marketing and distributing innovative footwear, apparel and accessories developed for both everyday casual lifestyle use and high performance activities. The Company’s portfolio of brands includes UGGÂ®, KoolaburraÂ®, HOKA ONE ONEÂ®, TevaÂ® and SanukÂ®. Deckers Brands products are sold in more than 50 countries and territories through select department and specialty stores, Company-owned and operated retail stores, and select online stores, including Company-owned websites. Deckers Brands has a 40-year history of building niche footwear brands into lifestyle market leaders attracting millions of loyal consumers globally. For more information, please visit https://www.deckers.com/.