Shelby Houlihan spent nearly two years competing without a shoe sponsor after returning from a four-year doping suspension. Now, the American distance runner has a new partner, with Skechers bringing her into its performance running lineup as she looks ahead to the next stage of her career. The deal gives the 33-year-old a major piece of her professional setup back, but it also puts her name in the spotlight again because of the doping case that has followed her since 2021.

Skechers announced the partnership on September 17, making Houlihan the first athlete to represent its AERO running range. She will also feature in the brand’s campaigns as she builds toward the 2027 season.

For Houlihan, the sponsorship closes a chapter that began when she returned to competition in 2025 without a shoe sponsor. Nike, her former sponsor through the Bowerman Track Club, did not bring her back after her suspension, leaving her to compete unattached while looking for another partnership.

But the circumstances surrounding that suspension remain an important part of her story.

Houlihan tested positive for nandrolone from an out-of-competition sample collected in December 2020. The positive test was confirmed, and she was provisionally suspended in January 2021 before ultimately receiving a four-year ban.

A 12-time US national champion, Houlihan has consistently denied intentionally doping. Her explanation was that the nandrolone came from contaminated pork in a burrito she bought from a food truck. The story immediately went viral and set the track and field community on fire.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport considered that possibility but ultimately rejected her case, finding that she had not established that the pork came from the type of uncastrated boar that could have explained the test result. The CAS panel described the proposed contamination scenario as possible, but improbable.

That didn’t stop the then 29-year-old from asserting that she never used the banned substance. However, she was mildly skeptical and admitted that despite how “ridiculous as it honestly sounds”, it was the only thing that made sense. Houlihan even revealed that they tested legal supplements and other items, eventually narrowing down the suspects to the burrito.

Not just that, the former national champion believes that things should have been different.

“I felt like there should be a mutual interest to find out what the truth is,” Houlihan said in a 2022 interview with Runner’s World. “When this all happened, obviously I was absolutely terrified and depressed that this was going on, and I didn’t have any explanation as to what happened, but I was trying to put my trust in the drug testing process because it’s put in place to protect clean athletes.

“I trusted that after they kind of dug and did an investigation, they would ultimately see that I was innocent. That’s kind of what I thought was going to happen. That’s not at all what happened.”

It meant that her suspension stood until January 13, 2025, and during that period, she had to train on her own. In fact, as part of her suspension, Houlihan wasn’t allowed to race with members of her track club, i.e. Bowerman Track Club, unless she happened “to bump into them”.

However, that led to other issues as Canadian distance runner Gabriela DeBues-Stafford left the group over issues with the American. It eventually changed Houlihan’s stance on the matter and she simply changed her routine.

“I don’t do that anymore,” Houlihan added in the same 2022 interview. “Just because of things that have popped up in the last few weeks (the issues with DeBues-Stafford).

“Now I just do everything alone. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m doing something wrong. And I don’t believe that I am.”

When she returned to competition, however, she did so without the backing of a major shoe company. In fact, during her ban while Nike told Houlihan they “support and believe” her, the former national champion was supporting herself financially.

Runner’s World reported in 2025 that she was not sponsored by any brand. Even then, the American record holder wasn’t worried.

“I feel like in some ways, yes, but I [knew] that was also a variable, that it could take a while,” Houlihan explained. “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.”

Now, that wait is over. Skechers’ announcement focused on Houlihan’s accomplishments, including her 14 U.S. national titles and American 1,500m record of 3:54.99. The company also highlighted its ambitions in the performance-running space, while Houlihan said she was drawn to Skechers because she felt the brand’s goals aligned with her own.

“I feel 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,” she told Runner’s World.

The timing of the deal comes after a 2026 season that has given Houlihan reasons for both optimism and concern.

She won The TEN 10,000m in March in 30:50.10, her first time racing the distance on the track. The performance was the No. 10 mark in U.S. history. She then finished second in the 5,000m at the U.S. Championships in July with a time of 14:57.88.

But the season has also included difficult races. At the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on September 13, Houlihan finished 12th and last in the 5,000m, crossing the line in 15:18.65.

Shelby Houlihan is already looking toward 2027 and Los Angeles

Houlihan described 2026 as a season of extremes, with some races leaving her encouraged and others feeling like everything had gone wrong.

“I think it’s been a bit of an up-and-down season for me,” she told Runner’s World.

A coaching change during the season eventually gave her a chance to reset. She now works with her fiancé, Riley, who has taken over her training, and Houlihan believes the change has helped her rediscover some of the enjoyment she had been missing.

“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.”

Houlihan still considers herself primarily a 1,500m and 5,000m runner, but she has enjoyed stepping outside those events. An 800m race interests her, while she also wants another opportunity to tackle the 10,000m after her successful debut earlier this year.

“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.”

The immediate target is now the 2027 World Championships in Beijing. Houlihan wants to make the U.S. team and challenge for a medal, while continuing to build the training environment around herself and her fiancé.

But the larger goal is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. And Houlihan is not setting modest targets for what could be her second Olympic appearance. She also wants to find out how far her ability can take her.

“I would love to see if I can take a shot at winning an Olympic gold medal.”

Houlihan told Runner’s World that she wants to chase American records and even see whether world records are within reach.

Now she has a sponsor, a new coaching setup, and another season ahead of her. The next test will be whether all this can help Houlihan turn the flashes of 2026 into a stronger run toward Beijing and, eventually, the home Olympics in Los Angeles.