Spira Footwear a Big Winner at 2007 Boston Marathon

CNBC States That Controversial El Paso Shoe Company "May Have Won The

Corporate Race" At World's Most Prestigious Marathon

Spira Runner Oleg Strijakov of Russia wins Boston Marathon "Over 40"

Masters Race

    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."
     Spira (www.spirafootwear.com) filed a lawsuit in U.S. Federal District
 Courton Monday, April 9 against both rule-making bodies for track and field
 alleging that application of IAAF and USATF Rule 143 - which purportedly
 bans spring technology for competition - constitutes a violation of the
 Sherman Anti Trust Act and a restraint of trade. Spira owns the patent
 rights to the WaveSpring technology in footwear. Spira alleges that the
 USATF rules prohibiting spring technology has effectively prohibited its
 ability to gain market acceptance of its technology as most elite runners
 will not compete in Spira products for fear of disqualification or sanction
 by the USATF. The USATF governs all competitive track and filed events and
 road racing in the U.S. including the Olympic Trials. The IAAF rule, as
 amended in December, 2005, requires that shoes for competition be submitted
 for approval to the IAAF's technical committee. Spira alleges it followed
 the IAAF guidelines by submitting its shoes for approval in September,
 2006. Despite repeated requests for a determination of its legality, Spira
 has yet to be provided with a response.
     "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).
     To view the CNBC "On The Money" piece on Spira, go to
 http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=d0fca501-1253-4df7-9421-
 fcc4ded93739&f=34&fg=rss
     CONTACT:
 
     Ben Sturner -                - Leverage Agency
     212-752-2500
     Bens@leverageagency.com
 
     Holly Fields - Spira Director Marketing and Communications
     915-838-8640
     Hfields@spirafootwear.com
 
 

SOURCE Spira Footwear