by Larry Eder
The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships have given three generations of American distance runners chances to reach the pinnacle of American prep cross country running. Simple in style: get to the regional race, finish in the top seven and move to the final. That simple, that straight. Good old fashioned cross country racing, the soul of our sport.
Foot Locker and ASICS Continue Running Support
ASICS Named Presenting Sponsor of the 2012 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships
Contact: Gabriella Citrin
Foot Locker, Inc.
212.720.3752 / 917.903.3614(cell) 949.727.7158 / 949.266.7029(cell)
New York, October 18, 2012– Foot Locker announced today that ASICS will be the presenting sponsor and official apparel, footwear and accessories provider for the 2012 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships.
The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships is the longest running national high school cross country race. The four regional races held in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West bring more than 10,000 of the nation’s leading high school runners together for the chance to qualify for the National Finals. The Northeast, Midwest, and South regional races will be held on Saturday, November 24, while the West regional will take place on Saturday, December 1. The Finals will be held on Saturday, December 8 in San Diego, Calif.
“ASICS is a top choice for runners and we are excited to partner with a company that shares our vision and passion for the sport of running, especially at the grassroots level,” said Jeanine Zocks, vice president of strategic alliance and events, Foot Locker. “We truly value and appreciate what the ASICS brand represents and the first-rate experience they will deliver to the young runners participating in our meets. We are looking forward to working with them on this program.”
“ASICS was founded on the principle of helping to provide direction and inspiration to youth athletes,” said Erik Forsell, vice president of marketing, ASICS America. “Now over 60 years later, ASICS continues with this same principle that an active lifestyle will help each and every person flourish. We are honored to join with Foot Locker in sponsoring the 2012 Cross Country Championships and provide the future of young distance runners with award winning footwear and apparel as they progress, excel and learn to STOP AT NEVER.”
The top ten finishers from each seeded regional race qualify for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals (schedule below):
Northeast Saturday, November 24 Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, N.Y.
Midwest Saturday, November 24 Univ. of Wisconsin-Parkside,
Kenosha, Wisc.
South Saturday, November 24 McAlpine Park, Charlotte, N.C.
West Saturday, December 1 Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut,
Calif.
Finals Saturday, December 8 Balboa Park, Morley Field, San Diego, Calif.
The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships is a stepping stone for many great runners, including the likes of Olympians Ryan Hall, Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, and 2009 ING New York City Marathon Champion Meb Keflezighi.
About ASICS America
Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, meaning “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body,” is an old Latin phrase from which ASICS is derived and the fundamental platform on which the brand still stands. The company was founded more than 60 years ago by Kihachiro Onitsuka and is now a leading designer and manufacturer of running shoes, as well as, other athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.asics.com.
About Foot Locker, Inc.
Foot Locker, Inc., operates approximately 3,350 athletic specialty retail stores in 23 countries in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Through its Foot Locker, Footaction, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, and CCS retail stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channel footlocker.com, Eastbay, and CCS.com, the company is the leading provider of athletic footwear and apparel.
