Saysh, the footwear company created by Olympian Allyson Felix and her brother, has released “The Felix Runner” sneaker, the brand’s first performance running shoe. Felix, who has been training in the sneakers for over a year, told FN that the shoe can be used by any ordinary busy lady for errands or marathons.
“I think the majority of women fall outside of the category of trying to break a world record for a marathon,” Allyson said to the outlet. “[But] it’s definitely a performance shoe and differs from our Saysh One which is more for light workouts and for walking. This is really our foray into that [performance] space.”
Felix, a Nike athlete for many years, recently spoke out about a near-fatal childbirth that nearly took her and her daughter, Camryn’s lives. Felix had to have an emergency C-section to give birth to her child. While recovering from her C-section, she offered to Nike that she rewrite her contract for maternal protection, which would assure that she would not be punished if she did not work well during her first week back.
Nike, on the other hand, rejected her suggestion and instead offered Felix a 70% pay cut. Felix left Nike in 2019 after being dissatisfied with the offer and breaking her non-disclosure agreement to speak her experience. Saysh was founded by the Olympian, her brother and business partner Wes, and another founder, Darren Breedveld. To get things started, they raised $3 million in initial money. The Saysh One and Saysh Two lifestyle sneakers, as well as the Saysh Spike One racing shoe, are now available exclusively for women.
“A one-piece molded heel for stability, a flexible lacing mechanism, and toe reinforcement on the upper” are among the features of the Felix Runner, according to FN. The shoe was also made with Saysh’s FemiformityFIT technology, which is designed to match the distinctive shape of a woman’s foot.
Felix, an American sprinter, recently became the most decorated American track athlete in Olympic history. Her Olympic career began at the age of 18 when she competed in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. Her first gold medal came at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.