by Larry Eder
SAUCONY’S DUANE SOLOMON CROWNED USA TRACK & FIELD 800M CHAMPION WEARING ENDORPHIN MD4 SPIKE
Olympian wins 800-meter final in world-leading time while wearing lightest middle distance spike in the market; Leads contingent of four U.S. Saucony athletes securing spots to World Championships
LEXINGTON, MA (June 25, 2013) – Global performance running footwear and apparel brand Saucony today announced that Olympian and Saucony athlete Duane Solomon ran a world-leading time of1:43.27 to win the 800-meter final at the USA Outdoor National Track & Field Championships this past Sunday in Des Moines, Iowa. Solomon leads a squad of four-deep U.S. Saucony athletes who have secured spots to represent Team USA at the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia. Saucony’s Molly Huddle (5,000), Queen Harrison (100 hurdles) and Ashley Higginson (3,000 steeplechase) will join Solomon at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow August 10-18 in an effort to become world champions.
“We are so proud of the Saucony team heading to Moscow,” said Mark Bossardet, vice president of sports marketing for Saucony. “Their success is testament to their talent and work ethic, as well as the products in which they train and compete. Duane ran an incredible race, winning his first outdoor national title while wearing the Endorphin MD4, a middle distance spike inspired by his aggressive style of running. With this group of amazing athletes, we have a solid chance of seeing all four in the finals at the Worlds.”
In the men’s 800-meter final, Solomon led from the gun and created a gap that Olympic finalist and five-time consecutive 800-meter USA champion Nick Symmonds was not able to close. Solomon set the world leading time of 1:43.27, while Symmonds clocked 1:43.70 and Brandon Johnson finished third in 1:43.97.
Olympian and American 5,000-meter record holder Molly Huddle, who led for much of the women’s 5,000 meter race, finished second in15:35.45. Queen Harrison, former NCAA Champion, was runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles in 12:44 seconds. Former Princeton runner Ashley Higginson clinched a berth on the national team thanks to her performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, where she was second in a time of&nbs
p;9:46.25.
Endorphin MD 4
Solomon was outfitted in the brand’s Saucony Endorphin MD4, the brand’s premier middle distance spike that is inspired by Solomon. The six-pin spike plate is engineered to keep athletes up on their toes with maximum traction while the combination of ultra-lightweight mesh and FlexFilmâ„¢ technology makes it the lightest middle distance spike in the market, weighing in at 3.2 ounces. The Endorphin MD4 will be availableNovember 1, 2013 at select specialty run retailers with a suggested retail price of $100.00.
About Saucony: Saucony, a division of Wolverine Worldwide, is a leading global running lifestyle brand that fuses performance, innovation and style to create compelling footwear and apparel with its widely recognized brands Saucony and Saucony Originals. Founded in 1898, Saucony continues to inspire runners everywhere with its award winning innovations, including the “Geometry of Strongâ„¢, ProGridâ„¢, PowerGridâ„¢ ViZiPROâ„¢ and AMP PRO2â„¢ apparel. At Saucony, a good day is when we get to run. A great day is when we inspire someone else to run. For more information, go to www.saucony.com
