Skechers is the iconic Southern California brand of footwear, based in Manhattan Beach, CA. Founded in 1992 by Robert Greenberg and his son, Micheal Greenberg, the company had sales of $4.64 billion in 2018. Skechers makes overr 3,000 different models of footwear. Their use of celebrity advertising has caught notice of many Americans as Skechers is now the 4th largest footwear brand in the U.S.
Skechers LA Marathon special model, photo by Skechers
They began their journey into performance running with their signing of Meb Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon. Since 2009, Meb has won NYC, took 4th in London Olympics and won the Boston Marathon in 2014. Meb signed with Skechers in December 2011 after the non renewal of Mr. Keflezighi’s contract with Nike.
Meb began a second running career with Skechers. His fans waited in lines at any expo he visited. Selfies abound of Meb and fans, young and old. And this opened doors for Skechers. Seeing Meb in Skechers and, also Kara Goucher, opened the brand to runners, who are both creatures of comfort and habit. During his time at Skechers (who renewed his contract ), has used the well known athlete, as a draw to bring consumers to their booths.
On Saturrdary, March 23, 2019, Meb signed autographs and took selfies with his fans and Skechers consumers. Watch for the RBR interview tomorrow with Meb.
Skechers completed their fifth year as a sponsor with Chevron Houston in 2019, and completes their 4th year as LA Marathon sponsor on March 24, 2019.
Skechers Performance is returning as the title sponsor for the 2019 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, March 24.
Skechers will offer exclusive race-branded merchandise to runners as well as fans. The race will feature the return of 2016 and 2018 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon winner Weldon Kirui.
“Now in our fourth year as title sponsor, we are proud to host more than 24,000 runners from across the United States and more than 60 countries, who will join us in bringing this monumental event to life,” said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “From first-time marathoners to seasoned runners and elite athletes to all the fans and supporters, we look forward to the camaraderie and enthusiasm that this race creates for Southern California. And we’ll be watching Skechers elite athlete Weldon Kirui when he runs Sunday to attempt a record third victory on this iconic course.”
Visitors to the Skechers Performance booth at the Health & Fitness EXPO in the Los Angeles Convention Center will have the opportunity to meet Weldon, as well as four-time Olympian Meb Keflezighi on Saturday, March 23 at 11 AM. Meb will also be signing his new inspirational book, 26 Marathons: What I’ve Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life From Each Marathon I’ve Run (Rodale Books), which will be available for purchase.
A collection of exclusive race-themed and inspired footwear and apparel will be offered at the EXPO. Influenced by the colors of LA’s top sports teams, the collection includes limited edition pairs of Skechers GO RUN Forza 3 and Skechers GO RUN Ride 7â„¢. Additionally, a new color of the Skechers GO RUN Razor 3 Hyper will debut and be available for purchase at the EXPO – this new training and racing style features an innovative Hyper Burst midsole and was recently named Editors’ Choice by Runner’s World. The collection is currently available on Skechers.com and at select Skechers retail stores in the Los Angeles area.
A two-time champion of the Los Angeles Marathon, Weldon was born and raised in Kenya and is one of the most accomplished distance runners in the world. His marathon personal best of 2:09:06 was set at the Eindhoven Marathon in the Netherlands and his wins include the Kass Marathon (Kenya National Championship in Eldoret) and the California International Marathon in Sacramento. Weldon has also been the champion of the AFC San Diego Half Marathon in California and the Krems Half Marathon in Austria, setting his personal record at that distance in a time of 61:10. When in Los Angeles, Weldon works with “Students Run LA”–a program for at-risk high school students who learn goal-setting and character development while receiving adult mentoring and improved health by training to run the LA Marathon.
The first Skechers GO RUN model was worn by Meb Keflezighi in 2011.
Image courtesy Skechers
Original link: https://sgbonline.com/skechers-returns-as-sponsor-of-la-marathon/
