HOKA Launches NIL Platform, Signs Star High School Runners

The running shoe brand HOKA is expanding NIL footprint through trail running community

Ventura's Anthony Fast Horse celebrates after finishing second in the Division 2 boys 1,600-meter run at the CIF-SS Divisional Track and Field Finals at Moorpark High on Saturday, May 11, 2024. Fast Horse also took second in the 800 to help Ventura win the team title. / JUAN CARLO/THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

HOKA - the high-end running shoe brand that exploded into mainstream over the past few years via the feet of Adam Sandler and Dads everywhere - has expanded their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) presence in a big way.

The Santa Barbara, CA-based brand launched a new NIL initiative aimed at revolutionizing trail running in particular for young athletes. As part of a partnership with a trio of superstar high school runners, HOKA is aligning these athletes with the brand's elite HOKA team members to provide mentorship and host them at pinnacle trail moments.

HOKA's latest signings of the country's top young trail runners include Ella Hagen of Summit High School (Colorado), Benji Anderson of Mountain Vista High School (Colorado) and Anthony Fast Horse of Ventura High School (California), who recently committed to compete at the University of Oregon.

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Hagen has been paired with endurance-sport legend, Heather Jackson who will host the high schooler on her crew at the Western States 100. According to FloTrack, Jackson will then mentor Hagen through her trail running training and competitions, including providing support for HOKA's UTMB Mont-Blanc YCC event, an international trail running race featuring two circuits over 15 kilometers in Courmayeur, Italy. 

“It is an awesome opportunity to show what is possible,” Hagen told KUNC in Colorado. “The sport is changing and there is more opportunities for athletes out there. Personally, I am just proud to show that it is possible and that your hard work can bring awesome experiences.”

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In addition to this trio of high schoolers joining HOKA, the brand also signed twin sister duo Nicole and Samantha Humphries of Flower Mound (TX) High School who are heading to Oregon in the Fall. They weren't able to engage in NIL opportunities while in high school due to Texas state law, but are kicking off their collegiate experience early with their HOKA partnership.

Upon announcing their partnership, Samantha shared on Instagram that "I am honored to represent HOKA's mission to build and equip a community passionately set on breaking barriers. I am even more proud to work with HOKA to inspire movement that goes beyond performance, reflecting the principle that one’s name, image, and likeness goes beyond sport. And I am most excited to share this with my twin sister."

This certainly isn't the brand's first big splash in NIL. In December, HOKA signed three University of Colorado athletes - Natalie Cook, Kole Mathison, and Karrie Baloga – who became the first collegiate track and field/cross country runners to sign NIL deals with the running shoe brand.

Further Reading: The Swiss sportswear brand On has announced a multi-year partnership with Zendaya.