"With the support of the
Skechers Performance Division by my side every step of the way, I have won for
the city of Boston, and for the entire U.S.," said Meb
Keflezighi(“Keff-Lez-Gee”) at his Boston Marathon presser.
Skechers GORun ambassador and
America’s #1 marathoner Meb led the pack of elite runners to the finish line in
the 2014 Boston Marathon in his high-performanceSkechers GORun shoes.
Meb’s victory became a feel-good
story in the running community, following the devastating bombing incident in
last year’s Boston Marathon as he is the first American to win in the
prestigious Boston Marathon after three decades with a new personal-best time
record of 2:08:37.
Vice President of Merchandising and
Marketing for Skechers Performance Division Rick Higgins said, “We are so proud
of Meb and his monumental accomplishment on what was clearly a very emotional
day…if [he] can do it in Skechers shoes, so can you.”
The Skechers Performance Division
first signed Meb in 2011 to represent the Skechers Performance
Division as it launched its
new footwear line. The Skechers GORun is designed for speed with its innovative
M-Strike Technology to promote a mid-foot strike (two-point step: mid-toe),
allowing more fluid and powerful strides than a heel strike (three-point step:
heel-mid-toe).
Meb transitioned from a heel strike
to a mid-foot strike runner with Skechers GORun, giving him an effortless and
faster take off. Since that time, Skechers M-Strike Technology’s influence on
the improvement of Meb’s PR (personal record) has been evident.
At 36, he ran in the NYC Marathon
in Skechers GORun back in 2011 and posted a personal-best time in finishing
sixth in New York that day, and then lowered it again in winning the U.S.
Olympic trials just two months later. Meb also won more than five key races,
including the U.S. Half Marathon Championship in Houston in January 2014, and
the U.S. Olympic Trials in Houston in 2012.
While his winning the 2014 Boston
Marathon might have come as a surprise to many given his age during the race
was just two weeks before Meb turns 39, he attained greater achievements and
established his personal best time record, running like a blur ever since he
shifted to Mid-foot Strike Technology with Skechers GORun.
“It’s a pretty massive deal for a
non-traditional running shoe company,” said Eric Smallwood, senior vice
president of Front Row, a Philadelphia marketing and analytics company focused on
sports. “If you’re a runner and you get a PR (personal record) in a new pair of
shoes, you’re sticking with those.”
Are Skechers Performance shoes any
good? Smallwood’s say: “They win marathons don’t they?”
*Media release from Skechers Philippines c/o
Nikka Peralta
