Proving they are a force to be reckoned with, Foot Solutions, the world’s largest franchiser focused on foot care health and wellness and relatively new on the running scene, took the Boston Marathon by storm last week when several of its runners were thrust into the national spotlight with strong appearances despite injuries and biomechanic issues.

Leading the marathon for the first 17 miles, two Foot Solutions runners attempted to do what the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team did during the 1980 Olympics in their famous upset of the supposedly invisible Russian team.

“It was our strategy from the start to run the race hard at the beginning and still finish strong,” said Foot Solutions Elite Running Coach Margaret Sue Bozgoz. “Of course we knew that the odds were not in our favor. Foot Solutions is a relatively small company and cannot afford the top runners in the business. But Jared Nyamboki, our strongest runner, is known for his quick start and with our other runner serving as the pacer, we believed Nyamboki, if he could get over Heartbreak Hill,had a chance to go the distance and win at Boston.”

The strategy conceived by Bozgoz and supported by Foot Solutions Founder and CEO Ray Margiano was one that some questioned in the days following the race.  But both Bozgoz and Margiano answered their critics by simply explaining their underdog philosophy. “Boston is the premier running event and so we thought it was worth the gamble to try something different there,” Margiano said.  It didn’t work out as planned but think about how fantastic and memorable it would have been had it worked.  Who knows, if the weather had been better he really might have been able to do it,” Margiano said. “In any case, we are proud of our runners and the race they ran.”

Nyamboki, a Kenya native who lives and trains in Fayetteville, Ga. , and the majority of his Foot Solutions team members, are literally running for their lives.  Most of the Foot Solutions team is running to escape extreme poverty in their native countries and many face political persecution. “As minor leaguers in the marathon field, we are also particularly proud of our over 40 runners who prove every day that excellence can be achieved at any age,” said Margiano…..continue reading

The Kenyan running machine swept into Des Moines on Sunday morning.  Runners from the African country dominated both the Des Moines Marathon and half-marathon men’s races at Nollen Plaza. Jared Nyamboki beat fellow Kenyan George Towett to win the fifth running of the 26.2-mile race in 2:23:26. Towett ran 2:25:32. Moses Waweru won the men’s half-marathon in 1:08.20.

Robyn Friedman of Lambs Grove, Ia., won the women’s race in 2:42.19.  Both marathon winners won $1,000. “I felt strong … I am happy about it,” said Nyamboki, who topped a field of 24,000 at the Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C., last Sunday.  “For sure I run well in the cold.”…continue reading

Alisa Harvey became the first four-time winner of the Army Ten-Miler in a masters women’s record time of 59 minutes while Jared Nyamboki coasted to the men’s victory in 48:24.  The 22nd running of America’s largest 10-mile road race started and finished October 8th at the Pentagon. There were 15,134 official finishers in the field of 16,676 runners. “It’s more than just a road race for me,” said Harvey, 41 a mother of two from Manassas, Va. “I love the military aspect when I get out there with the men who are all ‘Hooah!’  They’re excited about the race and they’re competitive even with the women.  It’s a whole new feel, so I just love being a part of all that.” …continue reading