K-Swiss Inks Official Partnership With Ironman
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Mar. 19 /PRNewswire--AsiaNet/ --
On the cusp of its sophomore season at retail in the performance running
category, iconic performance footwear and sportswear brand K-Swiss is proud
to announce that it has inked a long-term, official partnership with World
Triathlon Corporation, owners of the brand Ironman.
Under the agreement, K-Swiss will be the exclusive footwear and apparel
provider of an evolving collection of co-branded K-Swiss/Ironman performance
and lifestyle footwear and apparel. The K-Swiss/Ironman product will
initially be sold through online distribution channels www.kswiss.com and
performance retail partners.
"We are excited to be partnered with K-Swiss. They understand the Ironman
brand's DNA extremely well and have invested the necessary resources to
develop an amazing line of footwear and apparel products," said Andy
Giancola, Director of Sponsorship and Licensing for Ironman.
Additionally, K-Swiss will continue to support Ironman events throughout
2009 as the Official Run Course Sponsor of Ironman 70.3 Boise, Amica Ironman
70.3 Rhode Island, Ford Ironman Louisville and both World Championship
events; the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and the
Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Florida. K-Swiss
will also serve as a sponsor for all other Ironman and 70.3 events
domestically as well as Ironman UK and both 2009 Ironman events in Germany.
"Ironman athletes demand top-performing products to endure the rigorous
training and competition. The brand's official logo, the 'M-Dot,' is truly
the purest symbol of that level of performance," said K-Swiss Sports
Marketing Director, Erik Vervloet. "K-Swiss has spent the last several years
developing and testing our products with world-class Ironman athletes,
culminating in products that are ready to perform at the highest level, and
uphold the Ironman logo."
K-Swiss supports a growing roster of triathletes, Olympians and Ironman
champions including Paul Amey, Terenzo Bozzone, Hillary Biscay, Leanda Cave,
Gina Ferguson, Belinda Granger, Heather Gollnick, Chris Lieto, Luke McKenzie,
Kim Loeffler and Matt Reed.
K-Swiss sponsored athlete and recent Ironman New Zealand Champion Terenzo
Bozzone commented, "I am new to K-Swiss but I already know that it is a
company that I want to grow with. I ran in K-Swiss' new Ironman shoe, the
K-ONA(TM), in my first ever full- distance Ironman event two weeks ago. The
shoe is revolutionary - I had no blisters and a lot less post-race aches and
pains than I normally suffer from a 70.3 race. K-Swiss' new partnership with
WTC is a great match as K-Swiss is a company that is not afraid to step it up
and be different - traits that will benefit the sport."
The brand will introduce several styles ranging from the Ironman tested
K-ONA(TM), built to withstand the rigorous racing conditions of Ironman, to
the ULTRA-NATURAL(R) RUN II, the perfect triathlete training shoe, and
ultimately a range of recovery/compression style sandals. Apparel will launch
at this years upcoming events.
"At the end of the day, every Ironman product we make will have to answer
to one simple question, will this help a triathlete race, train or recover
better? If the answer is yes, only then will we brand it Ironman," said
Vervloet.
About K-Swiss:
Located in Westlake Village, CA, K-Swiss is a publicly traded company
founded by two Swiss brothers. The brothers, avid tennis players seeking to
create better performance product, introduced the first all-leather tennis
sneaker, the K-Swiss "Classic" in 1966. K-Swiss currently makes tennis,
running, training, lifestyle footwear and apparel.
About Ironman:
Ironman, with 31 years of history, consists of a 140.6 mile journey and
is regarded as the world's most challenging endurance event. With more than
50 qualifying events worldwide, the brand is supported by partners that
include Ford Motor Company, PowerBar, Timex and Gatorade. Millions may
remember moments in Ironman history such as Julie Moss' crawl to the finish
line in 1982 showcased on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Each year, more than
90,000 athletes compete for slots in the Ford Ironman World Championship held
every October in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and the Foster Grant Ironman World
Championship 70.3 held every November in Clearwater, FL.
SOURCE: K-Swiss
CONTACT: Jennifer Macfarland of K-Swiss
+1-818-706-5136
JMacfarland@K-Swiss.com;
or Melanie Dennig
+1-212-889-1700
Melanie@turnerpr.com,
for K-Swiss;
or Blair LaHaye of Ironman
+1-813-868-5929
Blair@ironman.com
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