Rockport Runners Led by Dr. Andy Baldwin of "The Bachelor" Finish Strong at the 2009 NYC Marathon

Proud Team of Rockport Runners Wear DresSports Dress Shoes to put the Style to the Test

• Press Release
• Source: The Rockport Company, LLC
• On 3:22 pm EST, Sunday November 1, 2009

CANTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, a team of eight avid runners representing The Rockport ® Company (www.rockport.com), led by Dr. Andy Baldwin of “The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman” ran the 26.2 mile 2009 ING New York City Marathon in their DresSports 2 dress shoes from Rockport. First introduced in 1983, the classic DresSports are engineered with adidas performance inspiration. The marriage of athletic innovation and sophisticated dress style carries through to today’s second generation that was launched August 2009: DresSports 2.

The DresSports 2 collection provided unparalleled athletic innovation design and comfort for the Rockport running team during the NYC Marathon. The team running the marathon in Rockport DresSports is a testament to how the shoes can withstand whatever daily marathon their wearer faces as a metropolitan professional.

Clad in specially designed Rockport running outfits, the team, which represents five different countries – the US, China, Sweden, South Korea and France – completed the NYC Marathon with impressive finish times as follows:

• Luan Ye Mao (China) – 3:16:56
• Dr. Andy Baldwin (US) – 3:21:33
• Patrick Blary (France) – 3:34:57
• Simon Philippe (France) – 3:34:57
• YongTaek Kim (South Korea) – 4:00:23
• Kort Sonnentag (US) – 4:16:22
• Michael Bernsteen (US) – 4:16:24
• Robert “Jojje” Karlsson (Sweden) – 4:33:26

Rockport began run testing shoes in the 1990s, and takes wear testing to the extreme by running in the dress shoes, and that tradition continues today. The DresSports 2 collection includes four styles for men and is now available worldwide at premium department stores, independent retail stores, Rockport retail stores and on rockport.com. Furthermore, a Limited Edition DresSports 2 style with a limited run of 500 pairs, each individually numbered, and celebrating the NYC Marathon with a uniquely designed heel logo and a unique footbed that illustrates the NYC Marathon route, was made available globally at retail on Saturday, October 31, 2009 as well as www.rockport.com. Heralding Rockport’s commitment to fitness and comfort, even in one’s daily 7am to 7pm marathon, twenty dollars from the sale of each pair of Limited Edition DresSports (not to exceed $10,000) will be donated to ING ‘s Run for Something Better program through the Orange Laces campaign.

About Rockport

The Rockport Company, LLC, is a leading brand within the adidas Group corporate portfolio and the top brown shoe company in the United States. Rockport has a heritage of innovation and offers comfortable footwear for men and women worldwide. The Rockport Company, LLC, was established in the United States in 1971 and is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts. The company currently distributes footwear to more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.rockport.com.

About the ING Run For Something Better

The ING Run For Something Better is a fundraising campaign that supports community and school-based youth running programs. Linked to ING's long-distance race sponsorships, the program was created to introduce kids to the benefits of sport, a habit of physical fitness, and a healthy lifestyle that prevents conditions such as childhood obesity. In today's world of poor nutrition and less-active lifestyles—which may contribute to childhood obesity—ING is using its position as a sponsor of marathons as a platform for helping kids get fit through free, school-based running programs. Nationally, ING has committed over $2.5 million to fund grants and school-based running programs through ING Run For Something Better. Since 2006, over a half a million dollars has been raised by individual donors through the orange laces program. ING has also created a special charitable fund to encourage others to support the cause by making their own contribution. When someone donates $10 or more to the ING Run For Something Better, ING will recognize their contribution by giving them a special pair of orange shoelaces to wear showing that they are "tied" to supporting kids' fitness. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of orange laces go to the ING Run For Something Better fitness programs. For more information about the orange laces, go to www.orangelaces.com.

For The Rockport Company, LLC:
Mark Tanno, 917-940-8143
Account Director
Mark.Tanno@mcsaatchi.com
or
Sandra Carreon-John, 212-518-7642
Senior Vice President
Sandra.Carreonjohn@mcsaatchi.com