by Larry Eder
Anthony Famiglietti is an athlete who knows the artist within. His web site, http://www.runfam.com, is one of the best that I have ever seen for an athlete/artist.
Fam, as he is known, is a man possessed of more talent than most. A 3:54 miler, with a 5k pb of !3:11 and 10k of of 27:36, Anthony Famiglietti has been haunted by the event with barriers-the steeplechase.
Like many of the great American steeplers before him, Horace Ashenfelter, George Young, Henry Marsh, Brian Deemer and Dan Lincoln, Fam is a man who has had his share of great and not so great races. That is what is meant by the euphamism, “Trials of Miles”. Great distance runners must have highs and lows, as so much of great distance running is overcoming the demons.
Fam’s breadth of experience, and his work ethic, reminds me, however, of the late great Polish runner, Bronislaw Malinowski ( 8:09, 13:17.4, 27:54). Malinowski was a total workhorse, and was also the silver medalist in 1976 and gold medalist in 1980 in distance running’s most precise and painful event–the steeplechase. Part of being a great steepler, is that the athlete has to be patient, a little eccentric, well trained, and last, but not least, listen to the voice within. Fam possesses all of those.
Famiglietti is focused on the USA Cross Country championships on February 7. A nice coming out party for the athlete now sponsored by Saucony. Saucony has picked up some good athletes recently, with Fam and Magdelena Lewy Boulet.
The release below suggests that Fam is focusing on the 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter distances. Like Moses KIptanui before him, Fam can run scarily well over those distances. It will be fun to watch him run fast this coming spring!
The key for Saucony is to find, as other brands have found, athletes whose spirit and voice parallels the brand. Loyal to the sport is a great moniker for Fam. A distance runner who has run well in cross, on the roads and on the track, Anthony is a talented, spirited distance runner, looking for that one race that defines a career….nice job, Saucony and good luck Fam this year.
( Fam is redoing his website, in the past, his paintings have been up. Quite talented painter as well. Check out his photo section, http://www.runfam.com/photos/, which was done by someone possessed with a painters’ wiring.
SAUCONY SIGNS ENDORSEMENT DEAL WITH TWO-TIME
U.S. OLYMPIAN ANTHONY “FAM’ FAMIGLIETTI
“Fam†to make brand debut at 2009 USA Cross Country Championships, presented by Saucony
LEXINGTON, MA (January 28, 2009) – Saucony, Inc., a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel, today announced the signing of two-time U.S. Olympian Anthony Famiglietti to a multi-year endorsement contract. Famiglietti, the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials champion, competed for the U.S. in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at both the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Famiglietti, who’s versatility extends to the roads as well, is the 2007 USA 8K and 2006 and 2008 USA 5K champion. In 2007, Famiglietti, known to the running world as “Fam,†ran the fastest 5,000 meters ever by an American on U.S. soil (13:11.93).
“I’m very excited to join the Saucony family and represent a brand that is both inspiring and authentic,†said Famiglietti, named the number one ranked steeplechaser in the U.S. in 2008 by Track & Field News. “Based upon the experience I’ve had training in their footwear and apparel, it’s obvious that Saucony truly appreciates the technical needs of the performance runner at every level. The brand’s commitment to inspiring every runner, on every run, on every day is one that I’m honored to share,†added Famiglietti.
“We are all very excited about the addition of Fam to the Saucony brand and family,†said Richie Woodworth, president of Saucony. “Our values and commitment to product innovation and excellence are shared by Fam, both as an athlete and as a person. Fam,
as all our athletes, is more than a product spokesperson: He inspires us in our relentless pursuit of creating the best running shoes and apparel on the planet and will be a valued partner in that effort,†added Woodworth.
Famiglietti’s first competition in a Saucony uniform will be at the 2009 USA Cross Country Championships, presented by Saucony, on February 7th in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He then plans to continue his progression as an athlete aiming at American records on the track in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters this spring as well as debuting in the marathon in the near future.Â
Famiglietti, 30, graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School in Long Island, New York. He attended Appalachian State University and the University of Tennessee, where he graduated in 2000. At Appalachian State, Famiglietti was 1996 Southern Conference Freshman of the year in Cross Country and 1997 Southern Conference Cross Country Runner of the Year runner-up. On the track, he was 1998 Southern Conference Champion in both the steeplechase and the 5,000 meters. In 1998, he transferred to Tennessee, where he placed 11th at the SEC Cross Country Championships and 75th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. In 1999, he was 6th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the steeplechase, and 8th in his heat at the U.S. Championships. In 2000, his final year of college, Famiglietti was 2nd at the SEC Championships, 4th at the NCAA Championships, and 7th at the U.S. Olympic Trials, where he ran an 8:25.37.
Since 1998, Famiglietti has followed the coaching advice of George Watts, head cross country and distance coach at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. For his altitude training program, Famiglietti consults with Jack Daniels, Ph.D., a world-renowned authority on distance running.
Famiglietti currently lives and trains in Knoxville, Tennessee. When not running, he is an artist with a special interest in abstract expressionism and composing music.
For interviews with Anthony Famiglietti or Saucony executives, please contact Sharon Barbano at Saucony (617-824-6126), sharon.barbano@saucony.com or Jeff Lawrence at Mullen (978-468-8945), jeff.lawrence@mullen.com.
About Saucony, Inc.: Saucony, Inc., a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc., is a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel with its widely recognized brands Saucony and Saucony Originals. For more information, go to www.saucony.com.
About Collective Brands, Inc.: Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) is a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories to consumers worldwide. The company operates three strategic units covering a powerful brand portfolio, as well as multiple price points and selling channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing. Collective Brands, Inc. includes Payless ShoeSource, focused on democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its more than 4,500-store retail chain, with its brands American Eagle™, Airwalk®, Dexter®, Champion® and designer collections Abaeté for Payless, Lela Rose for Payless and alice + olivia for Payless, among others; Stride Rite, focused on lifestyle and athletic branded footwear and high-quality children’s footwear sold primarily through wholesaling, with its brands including Stride Rite®, Keds®, Sperry Top-Sider®, Robeez®, and Saucony®, among others; and Collective Licensing International, the brand development, management and global licensing unit, with such youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk®, Vision Street Wear®, Lamar®, Sims®, LTD®, genetic®, Dukes™, Rage®, Ultra-Wheels®, and Skate Attack®. Information about, and links for shopping on, each of the Collective Brand’s units can be found at http://www.collectivebrands.com.
For more on Fam, check http://www.runfam.com
For more on Saucony, check http://www.saucony.com
For more on the sport, check out http://www.american-trackandfield.com
