MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skechers Performance returns to Houston, Texas on January 15, 2017 as the official footwear and apparel sponsor of the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Skechers Performance will be exhibiting at the coinciding expo, January 13-14, 2017, debuting the 2017 limited edition apparel and footwear collection, as well as official race accessories.
Skechers Performance is also excited to announce the appearances of Skechers Performance elite athletes and Olympians, Meb Keflezighi and Kara Goucher. Kara Goucher will be a part of the on-air race broadcast on ABC 13 from 7-10 a.m. on January 15th. Additionally, several international Skechers Performance elite athletes will be competing in the marathon, including the 2016 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon winner, Weldon Kirui.
“We always enjoy beginning the year in Houston for the marathon and we are pleased to be coming back in 2017,” said Rick Higgins, SVP Merchandising / Marketing, Skechers Performance. “We’re proud to have our athletes such as Meb and Kara join in race weekend activities to encourage runners of all experience levels and ages. This has become one of our marquee events, and our partnership with the Houston Marathon Committee has been extremely rewarding.”
For those looking to meet Meb in person, Skechers Performance will be hosting a meet and greet with the iconic marathoner on Friday, January 13th from 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm at Fleet Feet Sports, located at 2408 Rice Boulevard, Houston, TX 77005. Attendees will also receive a free gift after trying on any Skechers Performance footwear.
Meb will be making a second appearance with Skechers Performance at the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute EXPO on Saturday, January 14th at 4 p.m. The Olympian will sign autographs and take photos with attendees at booth #524, which is located across from the Skechers Performance official race merchandise location.
This year, Skechers Performance expanded the official race merchandise for the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon, offering runners and fans a wide selection of running footwear, performance apparel and accessories to commemorate their experience. The limited edition footwear includes the new spring 2017 Skechers GOrun 5 and the GOrun Forza 2 for men and women. The apparel features running basics including tank tops, tee shirts, leggings and shorts, as well as Skechers Performance GO SHIELD lightweight rain jackets. This year’s merchandise also includes windbreakers and zip up jackets featuring Skechers GOTherm 360 technology to keep runners warm.
Additionally, Skechers Performance will offer race accessories including hats, socks, gear cinch bags, and new this year – running belts – to hold small race day essentials. Skechers Performance will provide finisher shirts for all runners of the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon as well as outfit the course race crew volunteers with Skechers jackets.
Skechers Performance will offer a register round up for any purchase made at the official merchandise booth. Customers have the option to round up their purchase to the nearest whole dollar to support the Houston Marathon Foundation – an organization that supports the advancement of running and provides after school running programs, coaching, and guidance to over 2,000 Houston-area youth. Skechers Performance also donated 100 pairs of running shoes to high school students in need, as part of supporting the Houston Marathon Foundation.
“Entering our fourth year as partners, Skechers continuously exceeds expectations in regards to activation, advertising, branding and merchandising around our event, and their increased support of the Houston Marathon Foundation’s We Run Houston after-school running program has helped us truly make a difference for children across the region,” stated Wade Morehead, Executive Director of the Houston Marathon Committee and Foundation. “From their executives to their EXPO staff, it is an absolute pleasure working with their team. The primary mission for both of our organizations is to deliver the best participant experience possible each year.”
Additional activities during race weekend include a graffiti wall at the Skechers Performance booth, where participants and spectators are invited to leave a goal or supportive message for their race. Fans are also invited to snap a photo with life-size standees of Meb and Kara Goucher. Further, Skechers Performance will be out on the Discovery Green Jones Lawn for the “We are Houston Runfest” where games, prizes and giveaways will be available.
The Skechers Performance merchandise booth is located at #617 at the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute EXPO, located at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Hall A3 (Third Floor).
Learn more about Skechers Performance at GOSkechers.com and follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/SkechersPerformance), Twitter (twitter.com/skechersGO) and Instagram (instagram.com/skechersperformance).
For more information and interview opportunities please contact Jolene Abbott at 310.318.3100 x4839 or jolenea@skechers.com.
ABOUT SKECHERS USA, INC.
SKECHERS USA, Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women and children, as well as performance footwear for men and women. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States and over 160 countries and territories worldwide via department and specialty stores, more than 1,545 SKECHERS Company-owned and third-party retail stores, and the Company’s e-commerce websites. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia and the Middle East, and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Japan, throughout Europe and Latin America. For more information, please visit skechers.com and follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter (twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA).
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion and opening of new stores, the completion of the expansion and upgrade of the Company’s European Distribution Center, and advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will result,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include international economic, political and market conditions including the uncertainty of sustained recovery in Europe; entry into the highly competitive performance footwear market; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers; decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2016. The risks included here are not exhaustive. The Company operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and the companies cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can the companies assess the impact of all such risk factors on their respective businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.
