Guli is sponsored by Reebok, which gives her gear, a media campaign around her quest and, maybe most important of all, for the logistics of her quest, money. “Ultimately, they want to be able to tell a story,” said Merhawi Keflezighi, founder and president of Hawi Management, which represents athletes like his brother Meb, the long-distance runner, and the Paralympic sprinter Jarryd Wallace. Merhawi Keflezighi has been an agent since 2005, and seen the types of sponsorship deals widen in that time. Case in point, Justin Gallegos, a runner with cerebral palsy whose video of getting a contract from Nike went viral. “People admired that passion that he has for running,” Merhawi Keflezighi said.

Source: New York Times March 06, 2019 20:53 UTC