Ribbon Cutting:

ASICS Store New York was officially opened by a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 22nd.

From left to right: Rich Bourne - President and COO, ASICS America; Kiyoma Wada - Chairman, ASICS Corporation; Nobou Oda - CEO, ASICS America

Store photos:

Press Day:

Press was invited to the store on Thursday to shop and learn more about the Foot ID system featured in the store.

Here's Lucy Danziger, editor-in-chief of SELF Magazine, getting her foot analysis done: http://www.self.com/magazine/blogs/lucysblog/2009/10/shoes-news-i-can-use.html

Lolo Jones Appearance:

ASICS Olympic Hurdler Lolo Jones, was in store on Friday, October 23rd to sign autographs and provide some inspiration to aspiring athletes.  She got a little shopping in too!

Fun Run

Runners gathered in the morning rain for a 5K Fun Run through the damp New York streets on Saturday, Oct. 24th.  The run was lead by Central Park Track Club Head Coach Tony Ruiz.  Thanks to all that attended!

 

Grand Opening Weekend Features ASICS Athletes, Free Product, “Fun Run” and Grand Prize Trip Give-Away

IRVINE, Calif. (October 22, 2009) – ASICS® America, a leading athletic footwear and apparel manufacturer, will open its first U.S.-based retail store on Friday, October 23, 2009 in New York City. The 1,100-square-foot store will be located at 51 West 42nd Street in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, near Bryant Park. Opening weekend festivities will feature ASICS’ professional athlete guest appearances, in-store promotions, a “fun run” through the city starting at Bryant Park, and a grand prize trip give-away.

“Despite a down economy, ASICS America is still seeing significant growth in sales,” says Rich Bourne, President and CFO, ASICS America.  “New York is an active city in the running community which ASICS has long been a part of through our support of the ING New York City Marathon. We feel this is the perfect time and place to mark our debut as a retailer in the U.S.”

As the first stand-alone ASICS retail outlet in the United States, the store will stock running specific merchandise including footwear and apparel, and will have a sleek design aesthetic with traditional ASICS white and royal blue coloring similar to it’s predecessors in London and Tokyo. A main draw for the store will be the proprietary Foot ID system, which includes a 3D scan of the foot along with gait analysis to help consumers determine the best shoe for their foot and running style.

Foot ID’s 3D scan utilizes a cross-section of lasers and cameras to measure all aspects of the foot including the arch, boney architecture of the upper, length, width, heel and ball girth. The consumer simply stands on two pads located on the scanner and information is entered into a database. The consumer then runs on a special treadmill to collect additional information about their running gait. A specifically trained ASICS staff member will interpret all of this information and provide a recommendation on which shoes will work best for that individual. The gathered information will also be shared with the ASICS Research and Development center in Japan for future research.

“The state-of-the-art Foot ID system allows the customers to experience first-hand what ASICS technology is all about,” says Gary Slayton, VP of Marketing, ASICS America.  “ASICS is known for our innovation, and we are proud to be bringing a piece of that to the floor of our first U.S.-based retail store.”

Grand opening events for the public will take place throughout the weekend of October 23, including appearances from ASICS Olympic athlete Lolo Jones, product giveaways, a “fun run” on Saturday, October 24th at 8:00AM starting in Bryant Park and a chance to win a grand prize all-expense-paid trip to an ASICS-sponsored Marathon. For additional information on these activities, visit www.asicsamerica.com/asicsstoreny.

2009 US Track & Field Championships
June 28, 2009
Eugene, OR

Team ASICS had a fantastic final day at the US Track & Field Championships with four athletes punching their tickets to Berlin, Germany for the 2009 IAAF World Championships (August 15-23, 2009).

Harris Soars to 2nd Outdoor Title
The qualifying party was started by 2004 Olympian Tora Harris (Chula Vista, CA) when he stunned the field by clearing 2.31m (7' 7") to win the competition. This is Harris' 2nd US Outdoor title and he dedicated his victory to the R & D Center in Kobe, Japan for producing custom made shoes for him which he wore for the first time in competition today. With windy conditions and a big field of 26 jumpers, Harris commented that "I was just hanging in there and staying tough. I had to make adjustments because of the conditions. It was a great day to jump despite having too much tail wind. It was a big field with 26 guys, so in that situation you need to make adjustments and settle down."

Brown to Berlin
Soon after Tora's winning jump, Ryan Brown (Seattle, WA) stepped on to the track for the final of the Men's 800m. Brown was in 7th place at the halfway mark coming through in 53.39sec but slowly moved his way to 5th place at the 600m mark in 1:19.55. Brown slowly made his move around the last turn and ran past the two runners in front of him to finish in 3rd place and win a plane ticket to Berlin. The 2-time NCAA Champion crossed the finish line in 1:46.67 to secure his spot on his first World Championship team.

1-2 Finish in the Heptathlon
As Brown was celebrating at the finish line, 2008 Olympians Diana Pickler (Manhattan, KS) and Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA), along with the other heptathletes, were brought onto the track for the final event of the heptathlon, the 800m. Pickler, by virtue of the lead she had going to the last event, was guaranteed a spot on the World Championship Team as long as she finished the race. Pickler finished sixth in the 800m with a time of 2:16.99 but scored enough points overall to win the competition with a new personal best score of 6290 points. This is her first outdoor title to go along with the two indoor titles she won in 2007 and 2008. With only four competitions under her belt this year, Pickler said "I definitely felt it a lot in speed and timing. But I'm just looking at the big picture really and trying to focus on what I'm trying to accomplish in the next few months." Pickler makes her second trip to the World Championships after competing in Osaka, Japan in 2007 where she finished in 25th place. Day, however, had to run 2:19.10 or faster in order to hit the "A" standard of 6100 points to guarantee her place on her first World Championship Team. Day was in 2nd place at the halfway mark and broke away from the pack of 14 athletes with 300m to go en route to running a new personal best of 2:13.54, almost 2 seconds faster than the 2nd place finisher. "I knew what I needed (going into the 800). I wasn't running the race to just make it, I was running the best that I could," commented Day after the race. She finished second overall with a new personal best score of 6177 points and, with her 3rd place finish in the HJ on Thursday, will be going to Berlin looking to compete in two events.

In the Women's Pole Vault, 2008 Olympian April Steiner-Bennett (Springdale, AR) finished in a tie for 4th place clearing 4.45m (14' 7 ¼"). In the semi-finals of the 100m Hurdles, LoLo Jones (Baton Rouge, LA) bumped into the runner in the lane next to her, was thrown off balance, and was unable to finish the race.

ASICS Athletes headed to Berlin:
Jake Arnold Decathlon
Ryan Brown 800m
Tora Harris High Jump
Amy Acuff High Jump
Sharon Day High Jump/Heptahlon
Kara Patterson Javelin Throw
Diana Pickler Heptathlon

2009 US Track & Field Championships
June 27, 2009
Eugene, OR

2008 Olympian and Olympic Trials champion Kara Patterson (Vancouver, WA) could not have planned a better debut as an ASICS athlete. In 7th place after three rounds in the Women's Javelin with a best throw of 52.02m (170' 6"), Patterson fouled on her fourth attempt, before unleashing a throw that measured out at 63.95m (209' 10"), a new personal best by almost 8 feet and the 2nd farthest throw in American history. Patterson's winning throw was over 15 feet further than the 2nd place finisher and earned her second consecutive National title.

Patterson just concluded her Purdue Boilermaker career two weeks ago, taking second place in the women's javelin throw at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships. A two-time All-American at Purdue, Patterson is one of the top athletes in school history, winning four NCAA Mideast Regional titles, three Big Ten crowns and setting the Purdue and Big Ten records with her then career-best throw of 61.56 meters (202' 00"). The throw makes her one of two American women to ever surpass the 200-foot mark, and led her to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In the Women's Heptathlon, Diana Pickler (Manhattan, KS) and Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) are in 2nd and 3rd place after the 4 events. Pickler posted marks of 13.43sec in the 100m Hurdles, 1.81m (5' 11 ¼") in the HJ, 13.49m (44' 3 ¼") in the Shot Put, and 24.25sec in the 200m for a first day score of 3768 points. Day's 3739 points came from 13.82sec in the 100m Hurdles, 1.90m (6' 2 ¾") in the High Jump, 12.75m in the Shot Put, and 24.66sec in the 200m. The last three events, the Long Jump, Javelin Throw, and 800m, are scheduled for tomorrow.

In her first race back since injuring her hamstring at the Drake Relays in April, LoLo Jones (Baton Rouge, LA) advanced to tomorrow's semi-final after finishing 3rd in her heat in the 100m Hurdles. Jones crossed the finish line in 12.89sec.

In the 400m Hurdles final, Latosha Wallace (San Marcos, TX) finished in 7th place with time of 57.47sec.

In the final of the Men's pole vault, Rory Quiller (Vestal, NY) cleared 5.40m (17' 8½") finishing tied for 13th place.

100th Drake Relays
Des Moines, IA
April 23-25, 2009

In less than ideal conditions, American Record holder Suzy Powell (Modesto, CA) led Team ASICS at the 100th Drake Relays beating a very competitive field in the Women's Discus Throw including the Gold Medalist from the Beijing Olympic Games. Competing in cold and wet conditions, Powell's winning throw came in the 4th round measuring 59.15m/194' 1". Her victory at Drake gives Powell 2 wins this outdoor season as she won the same event at the Mt. SAC Relays one week earlier.

Latosha Wallace (San Marcos, TX) also found her way to the podium with a 2nd place finish in the Women's 400m Hurdles. Wallace was in 4th place coming off the last turn but ran well over the last 2 hurdles to secure 2nd place in a season best time of 57.02sec.

In other events, Amy Acuff (Isleton, CA), Greg Nixon (Columbia, SC), and Rory Quiller (Vestal, NY) each finished 4th in their respective events. Acuff cleared 1.81m/5' 11 1/4" in the Women's High Jump and Nixon, the defending champion in his event, ran 46.38sec in the Men's 400m. Due to the wet conditions, the Men's Pole Vault was moved indoors as the track surface became to slick and dangerous for the vaulters to jump in. Quiller, whose poles did not arrive until 4 hours before the event due to an airline baggage error, managed to clear 5.37m/17' 7/14" on his first attempt but failed to clear any more bars after. Tora Harris (Chula Vista, CA) finished 6th in the Men's High Jump and Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) failed to clear a height in the Women's High Jump.

Hometown favorite and Des Moines native LoLo Jones (Baton Rouge, LA) pulled up at the 8th hurdle and failed to finish the race. She was later diagnosed with a grade 1 hamstring tear and will be out of action during the month of May for rest and rehab.

Lolo Jones (Baton Rouge, LA), who had to overcome a false start and a gun malfunction in her heat to qualify for the finals, blew away the field to win her third consecutive National Indoor Championship. Her winning time of 7.84 was also fast enough for her to win a second consecutive VISA Championship, an award given to the best performer for the Men and Women this indoor season.

Competing in her last US Indoor Championships, Amy Acuff (Isleton, CA) went out in style by capturing her third straight and fifth overall Indoor National Title in the High Jump. Acuff was the only athlete to clear 1.90m and did not have any misses until she missed 3 times at 1.95m. Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) cleared 1.85m for third place.

Sara Hall (Mammoth Lakes, CA), running in her first indoor meet of the season, patiently moved her way up from the second pack and ran a personal best 8:53.72 to finish in second place. Hall moved into second place with one lap to go, closed hard, but ultimately ran out of track and could not overtake the leader, losing by less than a 1/2 second.

In the Women's 1500m, Sara Hall came back after her second place finish in the 3000m on Saturday night to finish in third place running 4:19.30.

In Tampa, FL, Ryan Hall won the Gasparilla 15K crossing the finish line in 43.23. Running on his own from the start, Hall started off on American Record pace for the first two miles before the stiff winds and temperatures over 70 degrees took its toll, slowing him down over the last three miles. Hall will next race in the Netherlands' City-Pier-City 1/2 Marathon on the 14th of March and the Boston Marathon in April.

Irvine, CA (January 20, 2009) - ASICS America Corporation announced today it has re-signed marathon runners Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor, and hurdler, Lolo Jones to contracts through 2012. All three extraordinary athletes represented the U.S. in track and field in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

"These athletes are the best in their events and are great ambassadors for the ASICS brand. Each has qualities that are in line with the company slogan ‘Sound Mind, Sound Body,'" says Benjamin Cesar, ASICS athlete manager. "Ryan is the future of men's distance running in the U.S., Deena is one of the greatest women's distance runners of all time and Lolo is the current face of USATF."

Ryan Hall has been a part of the ASICS team since 2005, and is best known for setting a new Men's U.S. Marathon Trial record on November 3, 2007 in New York City's Central Park making him part of the Men's U.S. Marathon Team that competed in Beijing. Hall's next major race will be the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2009 where he is predicted as one of the favorites.

"I couldn't be more happy to stay with ASICS, a brand that has been faithful to me from my first pursuit of breaking the four-minute mile barrier, to qualifying for my first Olympic team, to now, as I pursue winning a major marathon in the U.S.," says Hall. "As I have matured as a person and an athlete, I have learned how important it is to surround myself with people I trust, who support me through the good and bad seasons, and who are working to make the world a better place."

Deena Kastor won the Women's U.S. Marathon Trial on April 20, 2008 in Boston, Mass. earning her a spot at the Summer Games. Although she had to drop out at mile three due to a foot injury, Kastor has been recovering and is expected to return to competition at the Yokohama Ekiden, a long-distance relay in February 22, 2009. Kastor will likely be ready to run a full marathon by the fall of 2009.

"Long before running with the ASICS logo, I have admired the quality of ASICS shoes," says Kastor. "Since signing with ASICS in 2001, I have learned to respect the standards in which they operate. The acronym Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, a sound mind in a sound body, is a philosophy that every person within the corporation works under. It is a huge honor for me to continue representing a brand I believe in 100 percent."

At the 2008 U.S.A. Track & Field Trials (USATF), Lolo Jones set a personal best of 12.29 in the 100 Meter Hurdles, which tied her for the second fastest time in any condition and earning her a trip to the Games in Beijing. Jones was favored to win in Beijing, but hit the ninth hurdle and lost the race in the finals. Her first major return to competition will be at the USATF Championships in June 2009, which is the qualifier for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Outdoor World Championships.

"I have no Olympic medal and by ASICS committing to my dream of achieving that goal over the next four years represents to me that they are willing to support me not dependant on my current medals, but by their belief in my abilities to achieve those future medals with their support," says Jones. "I am truly grateful for this relationship."

ASICS Corporation, with more than 50 years of footwear manufacturing experience, offers a full line of performance-driven athletic shoes and technical active sports apparel and accessories. For more information, please visit www.asics.com.