*Four year agreement begins with two team records, four personal bests at Aramco Houston Half Marathon*

FLAGSTAFF, AZ – Northern Arizona (NAZ) Elite, a professional running team based in Flagstaff, and HOKA, a division of Deckers Brands (NYSE: DECK) have announced an agreement to renew their partnership through the 2028 calendar year.  The four year deal establishes HOKA as the title sponsor of NAZ Elite through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, a designation they have held since 2015.

NAZ Elite, whose mission is to help athletes achieve their goals with a human-centered approach to high performance and to elevate communities through sharing and interacting, is coming off one of the best years in its history.  In 2024, NAZ Elite had their first Olympic finalist on the track as Adrian Wildschutt finished 10th in the 10,000m in a national record of 26:50.64, their first World Indoor Finalist as Olin Hacker finished 5th in the 3000m, and were the only professional team to have multiple athletes (Abby Nichols and Ahmed Muhumed) qualify to run for Team USA at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

The 2025 racing season kicked off this past weekend in Texas at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.  All four competing athletes – Mercy Chelangat (1:08:57), Wesley Kipoo (1:00:34), Alex Masai (1:01:04), and Paige Wood (1:09:20) – set new personal bests in the distance.  They are now the two fastest men and women in NAZ Elite history over 13.1 miles.

“This agreement with HOKA will provide each athlete with the support necessary to perform at a World Class level,” said Jack Mullaney, Head Coach of NAZ Elite, “Our travel resources, physical and mental care, and facility equipment will all be upgraded to help our athletes excel on the global stage.”

To start the year, NAZ Elite’s roster of eleven athletes includes Abby Nichols, Adrian Wildschutt, Ahmed Muhumed, Alex Masai, Jackson Sharp, Katie Wasserman, Mercy Chelangat, Olin Hacker, Paige Wood, Tyler Day, and Wesley Kiptoo.