Shelby Houlihan Signs Skechers Deal After Sponsorless Return

Shelby Houlihan has signed with Skechers as the first athlete to represent its AERO line, her first shoe sponsor since her 2021 doping suspension.

Skechers announced on September 17, 2026 that it has signed Shelby Houlihan, making the 14-time U.S. National Champion and American 1500m record holder the first athlete to represent the Skechers AERO Series. According to Runner's World, the deal ends years in which Houlihan competed without a shoe sponsor after her Nike sponsorship ended with her 2021 anti-doping suspension; she returned to competition in 2025 and has maintained her innocence, arguing the result could have come from contaminated pork in a burrito. Skechers president Michael Greenberg said Houlihan embodies "strength, resilience and perseverance."

Runner's World reports Houlihan is the only distance runner currently sponsored by Skechers, though the brand previously backed Meb Keflezighi, who won the 2014 Boston Marathon in Skechers, and Edward Cheserek. In an interview with Runner's World, Houlihan admitted the wait took longer than she expected, saying she stayed positive and controlled what she could: running fast and enjoying the work. She said she values being part of something and building toward it, and that Skechers pushing back into the performance space felt like a values match.

The signing comes amid a roller-coaster season. According to Runner's World, Houlihan won The Ten in March in her 10,000-meter debut — the No. 10 performance in U.S. history — and was runner-up in the 5,000m at July's U.S. Championships, but struggled at the U.S. Road 5K Championships in May and finished last in her race at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship on September 13. She also switched coaches mid-season: her fiancé Riley now coaches her, replacing her sister Shayla Houlihan, a change Houlihan told Runner's World was about a mental reset after dreading workouts and feeling unable to get out of her own head.

Houlihan becomes the face of the Skechers AERO lineup, per the company's press release. She told Runner's World she trains every day in the AERO Spark, calling it among her favorite shoes of her career, and uses the lighter, more responsive AERO Razor for tempo and threshold work. The press release adds that AERO Burst provides soft cushioning for everyday runs, with both Spark and Burst available with Hands Free Slip-ins technology. Skechers says Houlihan will also appear in brand campaigns as it pushes into performance running alongside basketball, soccer, golf, and cricket.

The sponsorship stabilizes a career that has been rebuilt from scratch since the four-year suspension. Houlihan, 33, told Runner's World her goals are to make the U.S. team for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where a home Games would be the top of her list, to make the Beijing World Championships team and possibly contend for a medal, and to chase American and even world records. She said she wants to see what more she is capable of giving. For Skechers, per its release, the partnership extends into the 2027 season and beyond, lending an established name to its performance ambitions.