Spira Footwear a Big Winner at 2007 Boston Marathon

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 (http://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