Craft Sportswear becomes Official Athletic Footwear Partner of The Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series

August 31, 2021

- Craft Sportswear and Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series partnership launches limited edition co-branded shoe

TAMPA, Fla. (August 31, 2021) – The Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series and Craft Sportswear are excited to announce a new partnership making Craft Sportswear the Official Athletic Footwear Partner for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series. This partnership launches the co-branded Craft x Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series shoe in three limited-edition colorways – black, red and yellow. This exclusive mid-distance running, and training shoe will be available on the official Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series merchandise e-commerce store at www.runrocknrollstore.com and at all 2021 Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series events.

“We are thrilled to have Craft Sportswear join us as the Official Athletic Footwear Partner of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series,” said Matt Wikstrom, Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships for The IRONMAN Group. “The launch of this new co-branded running shoe is a great opportunity for our runners to experience the high-performance and quality of Craft with the spirit and energy of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series.”

Craft is a high-quality and high-performance Swedish brand that provides world champions and everyday heroes an endurance focused footwear and apparel design for any distance and any terrain.

As part of the X-series, the Craft x Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series collaboration features a multi-purpose running shoe that truly follows the natural contours of the foot. This Craft design features a lightweight and breathable engineered mesh upper and an ARC Foam midsole with launch pad at the forefoot and landing pad at the heel that provides excellent cushioning and response. In addition, innovative X cables run under the midfoot and behind the heel to secure and stabilize the foot — offering a perfect balance between support and flexibility for a natural stride.

“The running community here in the U.S. has exploded over the past two years and we are thrilled to be aligned with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series one of the premier race organizations here in the US.” said Eric Schenker, CEO of Craft NA. “Through this partnership we look forward to providing Rock ‘n’ Roll and their participants innovative products and programs that will help elevate their racer’s experience and meet all their endurance needs.”

To kick off the partnership, the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Virtual Running Club is launching three Craft inspired virtual challenges designed to get runners to Lace Up, Step Up and Power Up. Offering three distances, these challenges are the perfect way to try out the new Craft x Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series running shoe and learn more about each limited-edition colorway. By participating in any, or all, of these multi-level challenges participants can earn points towards discounts at the online or in-person Rock ‘n’ Roll merchandise stores and be entered to win a $500 Craft gift card. Visit www.runrocknrollvr.com to sign up and complete the challenges between Tuesday, August 31 and Friday September 10, 2021.

For more information about Craft Sportswear, visit www.craftsportswear.com.

For more information on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series, please visit the website at www.runrocknroll.com. Media related inquiries may be directed to press@runrocknroll.com.

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About Craft

Craft is a Swedish brand specializing in clothing and gear for endurance sports where performance and comfort are crucial for optimal result. Working closely with elite athletes and constantly developing new materials and technical solutions, Craft offers innovative training and competition apparel and footwear for World Champions and Everyday Heroes. For more, visit www.craftsports.us.

About Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club  

The Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Virtual Running Club™ (VRC™) is both a web-based platform and mobile app that allows runners from around the world to engage, connect, earn rewards, and compete in Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ (VR™) Series events with a distance for everyone. Since its launch in April of 2020, the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll VRC continues to see thousands of runners and walkers engage on the platform and find their virtual start line each week, bringing the global running community together. Additional details about the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll VRC platform can be found at www.runrocknrollvr.com.

About Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series 

The Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series is the world’s largest running series taking part in destination locations around the world every year. Established in 1998, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series simple idea of making running fun has transformed both the U.S. and global running landscape by infusing the course with live bands, cheer teams and entertaining water stations, creating a block-party atmosphere for participants and spectators alike. Focused on running, music and community, race weekend kicks off with a free Health & Fitness Expo showcasing the latest in running gear, sports apparel, health and nutritional information and much more. Events culminate with an entertaining finish-line festival featuring some of the biggest names in music, with past performances including Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, O.A.R. Aloe Blacc, Pitbull, Flo Rida, The Band Perry, Fitz and the Tantrums, the Goo Goo Dolls and Bret Michaels. Further information about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series can be found online at www.RunRocknRoll.com and follow @RunRocknRoll on all social platforms.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf^®, Ultra-Trail^® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events including Haute Route^®, and gravel racing like Gravel Epic^®, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group.

About Advance 

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, 1010data and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 17,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.