U.S. distance runner Kara Goucher signed with women's running company Oiselle on Wednesday, Letsrun reported.
At its surface, the deal was a move only an accomplished veteran or a young upstart could have made. Goucher reportedly turned down more lucrative offers for a company that was only founded in 2007 and is marketed towards a limited audience. At this point in her career -- her money already made from 12 years spent with Nike -- the 35 year-old is more interested in building a company rather than simply profiting from one.
Yet, Oiselle (Oiseau means "bird" in French; "elle" is a feminine ending used in other words) doesn't even make shoes, meaning Goucher will also seek out a shoe-only deal to compensate for her reduced salary. (Some reports claim she turned down a seven figure deal from other companies.) Based on the picture below, she'll likely wear Saucony's (which I also wear).
"I feel so incredibly lucky to have found a company who is empowering women to be stronger," Goucher said in the release. "Oiselle supports women runners from beginners to Olympians, and celebrates the journey we all take together."
Goucher has been in the sport for so long you sometimes forget how much success she's had, especially because she hasn't been quite as good recently (being 35 and all). At Colorado, where she met future husband and NCAA cross country national champion Adam Goucher, she won three national championships, including the vaunted cross country crown. Like her husband, she battled injuries for years; unlike him, she recovered to once again become an elite runner. Her career highlights include a bronze in the 10k at the 2007 World Championships, 9th and 10th place finishes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and third place at both the 2008 NYC Marathon and 2009 Boston Marathon.
Goucher has had an eerily similar career arc to fellow American distance runner Shalane Flanagan (bronze medalist in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Olympics), but Goucher has always been more marketable, mostly because of her looks and maybe even her marriage to Adam Goucher -- once of the U.S.'s most promising runners before injuries forced him to retire.
