K-Swiss Embarks on a Nationwide FREE RUNNING Tour

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- K-Swiss will embark on a seven-city, cross-country college tour to promote the emerging sport of FREE RUNNING. In conjunction with Foot Locker, Footaction and Champs Sports, the brand will tour college campuses and spread the word about this cool new art form, creating a national buzz.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080304/NYTU064 )

FREE RUNNING -- the art of moving through your environment using only your body and the surroundings to propel yourself -- is a sport without boundaries. K-Swiss was proud to be the first brand to stand behind it and collaborate with its founding father Sebastien Foucan. Now, on this journey to raise awareness and interest in the sport across the US, the brand will partner with the leading American traceur and owner of the only FREE RUNNING gym, Primal Fitness.

He and his team, The Tribe, will host daily demonstrations on the 60' x 60' square foot obstacle course interlaced with 18' scaffolding, created especially for the tour.

Students and locals in each market are invited to watch and participate in the training clinics offered by Toorock and his team. Fresh from a recent, media-frenzied FREE RUNNING shoe launch in Australia, Toorock is excited to continue his partnership with K-Swiss in the States. "K-Swiss is giving us a great opportunity to demonstrate the sport to more people nationwide, as well as allowing us to meet and work with local FREE RUNNING groups in each city."

The festival atmosphere, complete with music, demos, training sessions and sneaker try-ons, purchase opportunities, and sweepstakes will take place from 10am-4pm on various university campuses from March 6th-April 9th. Beginning in San Francisco and culminating in New York, the tagline of the tour -- Over, Under and Through -- best illustrates not only the sport but K-Swiss' voyage. "According to Jennifer Weiderman, VP of Marketing for K-Swiss, "We are excited to raise awareness of this new and emerging sport of FREE RUNNING by enabling college students to experience it around the country. We have designed a collection of shoes with the hero being the Ariake, and all participants will be able to try the shoe especially designed for the sport."

Foot Locker, Footaction, and Champs Sports associates will be on-hand at each location to highlight the features of the shoe and assist with try-ons. According to Chad Smoak, Vice President, retail brand marketing, Foot Locker, Inc., "We are always looking at different and unique programs that generate excitement and tap into the interests of our customers. FREE RUNNING is an emerging sport that appeals to our customers. We are thrilled to be a part of this tour with K-Swiss."

With spring around the corner, the K-Swiss FREE RUNNING tour is sure to be a buzz with excitement and the emergence of new traceurs nationwide. Look for those jumping Over, Under and Through in a town near you.

    FREE RUNNING Tour Dates:

    University of San Francisco          March 6th  10am to 4pm
    University of Southern California    March 11th 10am to 4pm
    Southern Methodist University        March 19th 10am to 4pm
    University of Houston                March 27th 10am to 4pm
    Florida International University     March 31st 10am to 4pm
    University of Illinois at Chicago    April 9th  10am to 4pm
    NY - Details TBA

    Press Contact:
    Tara Clavell-Vera - PR Director @ Gale Group 212-685-6789 x229
    Jennifer Macfarland - PR Director @ K-Swiss 818-706-5136

About K-Swiss:

Located in Westlake Village, CA, K-Swiss is a publicly traded company founded forty years ago by two Swiss brothers. The brothers, avid tennis players, introduced the first all-leather tennis sneaker, the K-Swiss "Classic" in 1966, filling a void in the market. The firm currently makes tennis, running, training, lifestyle footwear and apparel.