In the Boston area, Marathon Sports used to always have Brooks as their go-to recommendation because they made the highest profit percentage off of Brooks.
Brooks sells the most shoes. Their business model is to sell to 2 groups of people: 1. Doctors and nurses who spent all day on their feet. 2. Runners who signed up for a 5k after the doctor told them they should exercise (having shoes on the feet of doctors matters for that) and who go to their local run speciality store for shoes before going to their first Park Run, which in America Brooks sponsors.The result is a highly profitable, if somewhat boring, company.
While I can't defend Brooks' pro signing record, I will defend their shoes. I'm definitely more fat than fast these days but I'd been running in Nikes for the better part of a decade before last year. Mostly Pegs but I'd thrown Vomeros, Invincibles, Infinity Reacts, to name a few but was noticing my feet just not agreeing with them. So, I went full hobbyjogger and drove down to my local running store I used to go to before every high school season and played their little game of getting my range of stability shoes based on my "overpronation." The result was the best pair of running shoes I've had in a long, long time with the Brooks Glycerin 22 GTS. I wore this shoe from Super Bowl Sunday last year up until about last Halloween for everything from easy mileage to tempo to even some 150s and hill sprints. Great shoe! Now I'm in the Adrenalines which were my first real running shoe line back when I was in 8th grade. Still solid.
Again, I can fault the pro signings but I can't fault the shoes. Plus Emily had her moment in Brooks (even if it was in unbranded Dragonflys) as the "I'm US Champ as a 30+ year old woman!" If only she was a mom
She worked Brooks hard. Took a deal and never raced in their shoes. What an embarrassment for Brooks. Is Aliphine still receiving a paycheck with Brooks? Signed in January of 2025 and has never raced. Brooks has had some horrible luck with athletes over the past 2 years.
Yeah, racing in debranded nikes was pretty weak. Not a good look for brooks. I was reminded in another thread that she was salty with Nike for their marketing people asking her to dye her hair blonde. So, who knows? Prolly just needed the money and changed her tune.
She worked Brooks hard. Took a deal and never raced in their shoes. What an embarrassment for Brooks. Is Aliphine still receiving a paycheck with Brooks? Signed in January of 2025 and has never raced. Brooks has had some horrible luck with athletes over the past 2 years.
Yeah, racing in debranded nikes was pretty weak. Not a good look for brooks. I was reminded in another thread that she was salty with Nike for their marketing people asking her to dye her hair blonde. So, who knows? Prolly just needed the money and changed her tune.
No professional runner dreams of a Brooks sponsorship. Nike is the gold standard, even if I personally prefer Nee Balance to all other shoes. Brooks happened for her bc she had run out of other options. Now Nike is back for whatever reason. Probably not a lucrative deal - but enough to get her through the end of her career.
I would say it was one of several “moments” in her career so far, not her only moment, and to me it was not a “30+ year old woman” moment- to me it was “athlete wins national championship after major injury and years of hard work to come back despite being written off” moment.
I have no opinion of her either way, but have an anecdote. I happened to be at meeting between her and with the brooks marketing people before she signed with them. It was very awkward. The Brooks people drove down from Seattle to meet with her, to take some photos, and to give her some gear to test. She was very dismissive and acted like thanks, but I've got stuff to do. Her husband was there all decked out in Nike and in all of the photos taken.
It would be difficult to imagine brooks dropping her, her one year with them went about as well as anyone would have hoped when they signed (unless it was about the dragonflies debacle). That being said they would probably have right of first refusal when the contract (evidentally initially for just a year) expired, so Nike's would have had to at least beat whatever that was
I have no opinion of her either way, but have an anecdote. I happened to be at meeting between her and with the brooks marketing people before she signed with them. It was very awkward. The Brooks people drove down from Seattle to meet with her, to take some photos, and to give her some gear to test. She was very dismissive and acted like thanks, but I've got stuff to do. Her husband was there all decked out in Nike and in all of the photos taken.
Well, that's disheartening to hear. Maybe she was just having a bad day or something. I woul dnot have taken her for being one of those spoiled pro types.
Other than Kerr and maybe Des, who does Brooks have that’s memorable? I like Brandon Miller, but the rest are just uninteresting pros.
But the average person loves their shoes so they must be doing something right.
CJ Albertson is super interesting and impressive. Jess McClain has had some great recent results. And they both hold down jobs aside from running for Brooks. Both memorable and CJ more so.
I have no opinion of her either way, but have an anecdote. I happened to be at meeting between her and with the brooks marketing people before she signed with them. It was very awkward. The Brooks people drove down from Seattle to meet with her, to take some photos, and to give her some gear to test. She was very dismissive and acted like thanks, but I've got stuff to do. Her husband was there all decked out in Nike and in all of the photos taken.
Well, that's disheartening to hear. Maybe she was just having a bad day or something. I woul dnot have taken her for being one of those spoiled pro types.
Other than Kerr and maybe Des, who does Brooks have that’s memorable? I like Brandon Miller, but the rest are just uninteresting pros.
But the average person loves their shoes so they must be doing something right.
CJ Albertson is super interesting and impressive. Jess McClain has had some great recent results. And they both hold down jobs aside from running for Brooks. Both memorable and CJ more so.
CJ Albertson is super interesting and impressive. Jess McClain has had some great recent results. And they both hold down jobs aside from running for Brooks. Both memorable and CJ more so.
Neither have medaled or won majors.
Jess and CJ are nobodies lol, these are terrible examples.
Kerr has medaled on the world stage and Des obviously won Boston.
Yeah, racing in debranded nikes was pretty weak. Not a good look for brooks. I was reminded in another thread that she was salty with Nike for their marketing people asking her to dye her hair blonde. So, who knows? Prolly just needed the money and changed her tune.
Nike probably gave her a very basic deal that gets her through 2028. She rarely races and that probably is reflected in her contract. The Brooks deals was a stopgap, although maybe she should have run in them once just to pretend she was thankful for their faith in her.
Nike probably gave her a very basic deal that gets her through 2028. She rarely races and that probably is reflected in her contract. The Brooks deals was a stopgap, although maybe she should have run in them once just to pretend she was thankful for their faith in her.
Say what you want about Brooks. She finally got her first legit national championship while being sponsored by them.