American marathoner Meb Keflezighi took home gold at the 118th Boston Marathon today.
The brand ambassador for Skechers won the marathon in 2:08:27 and used the opportunity to debut a new sneaker style, Skechers GoMeb Speed 3, from the brand’s performance division. Prior to the race, Skechers also debuted a new ad campaign, “Go Meb Go,” featuring the elite runner.
“I’m excited to be racing in Boston this year, and the strong support from Skechers Performance Division with this new campaign and the encouragement from the fans and the crowd on the course always inspires me,” Keflezighi said in a statement released over the weekend. “I’ve felt good training, and the new GoMeb Speed 3 … has felt great.”
The company has in the past several years focused more intently on its performance and athletic divisions, emphasizing its GoRun and GoWalk shoe lines. Keflezighi signed on as brand ambassador for the performance division in 2011. In 2012, he was the first U.S. finisher in the London Games and winner of the 2014 U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Houston.
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“Boston is a pinnacle race this year, and as we developed this campaign, it was important to us to not only support Meb and his accomplishments as a champion marathoner, but we also wanted to encourage those in Boston and those watching the race at home to cheer for America’s top marathoner,” Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers USA Inc., said in the company statement. “Unity is definitely the sentiment for Boston 2014, and we applaud all those who are participating in this year’s race.”
Keflezighi is the first American to win the Boston Marathon since 1983.
