Mountain runner Francesco Puppi has gotten back on track with a new sponsorship deal just days after announcing he'd left Nike at the end of the year over an ad campaign he says made him uncomfortable.
On Friday, the Italian world champion sky runner announced that he'd signed with Hoka, the biggest brand in trail running and current title sponsor of the UTMB. He joins the ranks of current UTMB record holder Jim Walmsley and ultramarathon legend "Speedgoat Karl" Melzer as a Hoka-sponsored athlete.
"Running has taught me to embrace change, to keep moving forward and to seek growth in every step," says Puppi, who has signed a three-year contract.
"What feels really special about joining the Hoka family is that they empower me to feel my authentic self, to embrace both my triumphs and my vulnerabilities, and to share the self-doubt and uncertainty that all of us face."
With his announcement, Puppi shared a video on Instagram, which you can watch below, where he visits Hoka's headquarters in Annecy, France and meets with Director of Innovation Christophe Aubonnet to see the inner workings of Hoka shoes like the Speedgoat 6 and Rocket X 2 racing shoe.
Last week, we reported that Puppi had left Nike after five years over an ad campaign the brand ran during the Olympics that he feels "links success with being single minded, deceptive and selfish." With his impressive record in trail running, it's no surprise that another brand was waiting in the wings to snap the 33-year-old up.
Puppi took gold last year in the 100k Vibram Ultra Trail Lago d'Orta as well as three 50k races including the Julian Alps Trail Run by UTMB. He has run two OCCs reaching second place on the podium and holds the Lavaredo 50k course record which he set in 2023 in an unbelievable 04:02:16. His best marathon time is 2:16:18 and he has run a 33-minute vertical kilometer.
