EL PASO, Texas, April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Spira Footwear, the controversial footwear company that features springs in the soles of its shoes, was a big winner at Monday's Boston Marathon with three of its runners thrust into the national spotlight with strong appearances and the company's marketing and publicity efforts being called "genius" by CNBC's business television show "On The Money."
Oleg Strijakov of Russia won the Masters "Over 40" Boston Marathon Monday wearing a pair of "banned" Spira running shoes, featuring the patented WaveSpring (TM) technology. Strijakov won the race for men age 40 and over in 2:28:55 (44th place overall). Spira runners Jared Nyamboki and Josphat Ongeri of Kenya also performed well in Boston leading the race for one hour and 32 minutes before fading down the stretch.
The controversy with Spira footwear comes in that it is the only running shoe that features "springs" in its sole, and under the rules of International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and the United States Association of Track and Field (USATF) - the governing bodies for running internationally and in the United States respectively - is interpreted as being against the rules.
Nyamboki and Ongeri received tremendous television exposure for Spira and its bright yellow elite racing flats that stood out on international television. Spira was lauded by CNBC's show "On The Money" and its national sports business reporter Darren Rovell Monday night calling Spira's marketing efforts "genius" and "guerilla marketing at its best."
"Robert Cheruiyot won the 111th Boston Marathon, but so too did a tiny shoe company out of El Paso, Texas," said Rovell during Monday evening's edition of "On The Money. "Spira's bright yellow shoes going along for the ride as two complete unknowns (wearing Spiras) ran away from the pack for the first half of the race."
Spira's marketing and branding efforts were also recognized on CNBC by Laura Ries, author of author of The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR. "The best thing they ever did was make these shoes bright yellow so that everyone noticed them," said Ries on CNBC. "They had a great brand name, they had a new idea in terms of shoe technology and they just got lucky at the Boston Marathon of all places. You can't ask for something better than that."
Said Rovell, "Nike ultimately (got exposure) thanks to its branding on the tops of both winners, but it was Spira that may have won the corporate race."
"This has been the most active week for Spira footwear in the history of the company," said Spira CEO Andy Krafsur. "We are very pleased that people are beginning to take notice of our shoes, which provide the most comfort, prevent injuries and lessen the stress on the body during a hard run or walk. All of our runners are all walking without any pain the day after running the marathon in Boston."
Other Spira runners excelling during the Boston Marathon include David Bedoya of Spain, who finished in 2:26.29 - the highest Spira finisher in 35th place, Tamrat Ayalew of Ethiopia who finished in 2:28:46 (42nd place) and Birhanu Wukaw of Ethiopia who finished in 2:36.56 (93rd place).
Spira Footwear
