The West Coast counterweight to skechers bobs boots New England-based running shoe brands like Saucony and New Balance, Skechers doesn't have the traditional, 100-year-old running roots of some of its East Coast competitors. Although Skechers is still a baby of a company (relative to others) and its influence on the running shoe market is even newer, the company has made itself into a contender in the race for running shoe dominance.

Skechers launched in 1992 and leapt men's skechers sneakers on sale headfirst into the grunge era with, of course, a big black combat boot. Its popular line of Roadies sneakers, which were a simple, everyday wear-around shoe, helped the brand gain prominence in the mid-90s. Since, Skechers has grown into the fourth best-selling athletic shoe brand in the US, after Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour. The company’s innovations for runners have come more recently, but it’s unique compared to running-specific brands because Skechers shoes offer a similar level of performance at a much lower price.

Skechers created its GOrun line of running shoes in 2011, and a number of remarkable kicks have come from skechers mens shoes clearance the line since. The GOrun shoe, a minimalist, lightweight (6.9 oz for men’s) trainer, was the first in the GOrun lineup, and it made clear Skechers’s commitment to high-performance running shoes. With the GOrun, Skechers was no longer making athletic shoes that you could run in, they were making running-specific shoes designed for you to run in. Skechers then embraced the minimalist running trend of the time with the release of the GObionic running shoe a year later. This shoe was built to give a good feel for the ground and save on weight.

In 2011, runner Meb Keflezighi signed skechers womens sneakers sale a professional contract with Skechers, and he helped it refine its racing flat design by giving detailed feedback on his shoes. The collaboration between Keflezighi and Skechers led to the GOmeb racing shoe line. In 2014, he won the Boston Marathon while wearing a pair of GOmeb Speed 3s—a big win for him, and for Skechers, too. Skechers has continued to build on its running successes since then. In 2017, the company debuted Ultra Flight foam and used it in shoes like the GOrun Maxtrail 5 Ultra and the GOrun Maxroad 3 Ultra.