Kara Goucher Drops Nike For Skechers, Revolution Continues

Kara Goucher, America's Marathoning Mom and one of the more dynamic personalities in the sport, has announced today she's signed with Skechers. The revolution continues.

Goucher's contract with longtime sponsor Nike was up in December, but Nike still held the right of first-refusal. That period ended in early spring, and Goucher has since been shopping around for a shoe brand.

"I started meeting with Skechers back in December," she told Runner's World, who broke the announcement. "They were actually the first company I met with when I realized I was a free agent."

Why is Goucher, a very good runner, even talking to Skechers, a company that makes boxy leather shoes for Mark Cuban? With their sponsorship of 2014 Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi—another former Nike athlete—Skechers' stock has never been higher.

Goucher was coyly fielding offers from other suitors, including Asics, Saucony, and Reebok, she said. But Skechers' Meb's win in Boston sealed it: "I was like, 'Yeah, let's do [the deal]. Clearly, [Skechers is] onto something.'"

Goucher will miss her summer season—injuries, man—but she'll be back for a major fall marathon, where she and Meb will bring another wave of interest in Skechers.

For Goucher, "It's the 'S'" is just another way of saying it's not Nike.

[ Runner's World: Kara Goucher Signs With Skechers]