Shelby Houlihan Signs First Professional Contract Since Returning From Doping Suspension

After years of competing without a shoe sponsorship, Shelby Houlihan has finally inked a deal. On Thursday, Skechers announced that it has signed the Olympian.Before a 2021 anti-doping violation led to a four-year suspension from the sport, Houlihan was a member of the Nike-backed Bowerman Track Club. After being suspended, her Nike sponsorship ended, and she has sought a new sponsor since returning to competition in 2025. (Houlihan has maintained her innocence, arguing that the result could have been caused by contaminated pork in a burrito.)Houlihan, 33, is the only distance runner currently sponsored by Skechers, according to the company, but it previously supported athletes such as Meb Keflezighi, who won the 2014 Boston Marathon wearing Skechers, and Kenyan pro runner Edward Cheserek.After winning a U.S. title and placing fourth at the World Championships in the 5,000 meters last year, Houlihan’s 2026 season has included both strong performances and difficult results. She 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 5,000 at the U.S. Championships in July. But Houlihan 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.Runner’s World spoke with Houlihan about what the Skechers deal means after years without a shoe sponsor, why she changed coaches mid-season, and how she’s rebuilding her career with an eye toward the 2028 Olympics. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.Runner’s World: How do you feel like your season has gone?Shelby Houlihan: I think it’s been a bit of an up-and-down season for me. I came out with the 10K and it went well, but it definitely was not quite what I wanted. From there, I had some races where I felt great and it was awesome. And then other races where I just felt like I imploded. So it’s been a bit of a roller coaster. But I think the season overall has gone well.I ended up switching coaches and kind of resetting. And I feel like it’s gone really well the last few months. I’m getting in good training. I feel like myself, I’m having fun. So I feel like it’s going in the right direction.Do you feel like you’ve had to experiment to find your right race distance? Is that what you’ve been doing this year? Or do you feel like you’re still a 1500/5,000 runner on the track?I think I’m still a 1500/5,000 [runner]. It’s been more like I just want to have fun doing other races. An 800 sounds really fun. I wanted to try and give my shot at the 10,000. I still feel like I want to give it another go at some point, but I don’t know.It’s always good to have multiple tools in your toolbox and get out of your comfort zone [and] do different races. You can always learn something.You mentioned a coaching change. Could you talk about that?My fiancé, Riley, is actually coaching me now, the last few months. I was working with my sister [Grand Canyon University coach Shayla Houlihan] before and it was going really well. For me, mentally, I was just having a really hard time. I was not having fun.And this is not on her in any way. I couldn’t really get out of my head and was just kind of struggling, which I think was adding to the up-and-down season. Workouts weren’t going super well. I was dreading getting out the door. So for me, I was just like, “I need a full reset and something totally new.”I ended up having Riley coach me and then headed straight up to Park City, Utah, to train with some of my friends. And I feel like it worked. Things are going well. I feel like I’m mentally in such a better place, and I’m actually having fun with it.Sam Barnes//Getty ImagesHoulihan finished fourth in the 1500 meters at the 2019 World Championships, running an American record of 3:54.99 that still stands.You’ve batted some ideas off Riley in the past. Does he have full autonomy with your training? How does that work?He mostly has full autonomy, but he also does want my feedback. He might give me a workout like, “Hey, this is what we’re doing. This is why we’re doing it.” And if I have thoughts about it, I can freely tell him, and he’ll take that into account. And maybe he changes something, maybe he doesn’t. But he definitely has full autonomy and I trust him.Every Monday, we have a meeting. Obviously it’s kind of hard because we’re also living together. He’s my fiancé. So we have a meeting outside at a coffee shop just to create some separation. I feel like we're handling the boundaries of the different roles really well. [He’ll ask me,] “How are things going? What do we need to work on? How are you mentally, emotionally?” So I think we’re covering a lot of different bases, which has been really good for me.Does he coach anyone else?No, just me.I know it’s been a few years, but can you take me through the process of finding a shoe sponsor and how you had to market yourself?I’ve always been someone who [lets] my running market me. I’m going to work hard. I’m going to do what I love to do. And I hope that things kind of fall into place. That’s something I’ve said over the years: I’m going to trust that things are going to work out the way they're supposed to.[My sponsorship approach was] being patient and trying to find the right sponsor to work with ... I really value being a part of something and feeling a sense of community and belonging and building toward something. That’s something I’ve realized is something I find really fun.And I felt like Skechers ended up being a perfect fit for that, with them trying to get back into the performance space and also wanting to build toward something. So I feel like the values were the same ... I feel like it’s a really great fit.Courtesy SkechersHoulihan wearing the Skechers Aero Spark.Did it take longer than you thought to get a sponsorship after the suspension?I feel like in some ways, yes, but I [knew] that was also a variable, that it could take a while. I just tried to stay positive, control what I could control. I can control running fast and enjoying what I’m doing and hope that everything works out. And I feel like that’s kind of what happened.What made Skechers a good fit?[They are aligned] in values with me and my goals. I still want to be competitive and try to be one of the best in the world and see what I can do. And they also want to create products that compete at the best at the highest level in the world. So that goal is the same.I think working with the team, everyone is super supportive and they’re excited to work with me and have me as a part of the team. So it organically felt like a really good fit and it felt right.Take me through the shoe lineup. What do you plan to run in?I’ve really enjoyed the shoes and the products. I train every day in the Aero Spark. That’s my favorite shoe. Honestly, out of all of the shoes I’ve run in over my career, I feel like this is definitely up there. I really, really enjoy it.Their Aero Razor is a great workout shoe. I’ve been using those for my tempo and threshold runs. I really like the responsiveness of it, that it’s really light. So I think they're making a really great product.The Aero Burst is awesome as well for more of your doubles or lighter runs.Seeing what they’re already coming out with makes me excited. Like, what else? What else are we going to build? I feel like these products are already so great. So it definitely makes me excited to see what continues to happen.David Ramos//Getty ImagesHoulihan made the 2016 Olympic team in the 5,000 meters, where she finished 11th.Having a shoe sponsorship, does that unlock anything? What has that brought to your life in general and training?The biggest thing is it feels great to have a company that’s supportive and backing me, excited about me, [and] wants to help me achieve the things that I want to achieve.They have great footwear, great products. So I don’t have to worry about that. And I actually get to rep a brand that I really like and enjoy being in partnership with.Beyond that, I think it’s cool that Skechers, even though they’re still kind of coming back into the performance space, is already an established brand. There’s already that sense of community and some scope to reach people outside the running world or a bigger scope in the running world.The Olympics are coming up. What are your goals for the next few years and your career in general?I definitely have some big goals. I obviously want to make the L.A. team. I think it’d be so cool to compete in a home Olympics. I’m pretty sure every athlete wants to do that, so that’s definitely at the top of my list.I want to have a great year next year, continuing to build off momentum. I’ll be sponsored and working with my fiancé as far as coaching goes, so continuing to build that training environment. I’m excited about training next year. I would hope to make the Beijing World Team, see if I can maybe win a medal or something. But yeah, [my goal is to] get to L.A. in 2028. I would love to see if I can take a shot at winning an Olympic gold medal.I guess these are kind of typical responses. I want to set American records, see if I can go after world records. I really just want to see what I’m capable of doing and whether or not that happens, it’s fine. But I feel like there’s more there, and there’s more that I can give. And I want to see what that looks like.Find Your Next Running PlaylistTheo Kahler is the senior news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:37 in the half marathon, and finished 40th at the 2025 New York City Marathon. He enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)