Rockport Runners to Run the 2009 NYC Marathon in Dress Shoes Led by Andy Baldwin of "The Bachelor"

New Footwear Styles of Rockport`s DresSports Weigh Less Than an Average Running
Shoe; Runners To Put It To Test
CANTON, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
Today, The Rockport Company (www.rockport.com) is pleased to showcase the style
and comfort of its new DresSports dress shoes by announcing a team of runners
led by Andy Baldwin of "The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman" fame, who will
don DresSports 2 for the 2009 NYC Marathon, the world`s most widely-watched
marathon. First introduced in 1983, the classic DresSports are engineered with
adidas performance inspiration. The marriage of athletic innovation in the
bottom and sophisticated dress style in the upper carries through to today`s
second generation: DresSports 2.

Rockport has taken major steps to update the DresSports collection by making
style and comfort the main focus. Each DresSports style weighs less than the
average running shoe. "The DresSports collection is an important part of
Rockport`s heritage and we are excited to update it for today`s consumer," said
Michael Rupp, Rockport CEO and president. "Our designers removed unnecessary
materials and technologies to create one of the most comfortable, lightest
weight dress shoes available on the market."

Known to offer cushioning and support for miles and miles, DresSports will be
worn by international amateur runners, including Andy Baldwin, for 26.2 miles
during the NYC Marathon on November 1, 2000. These runners, who hail from five
different countries, will illustrate the versatility, comfort and lightness of
the DresSports collection by completing the marathon. The Rockport running team
will be led by Baldwin who is a U.S Navy Lieutenant and tri-athlete, and is best
known for his appearance on the 10th season of "The Bachelor". Four of the
runners will be running for ING`s "Run for Something Better" program through the
Orange Laces campaign as a tie-in to a fundraising collaboration between ING and
Rockport during the 2009 NYC marathon weekend.

The DresSports 2 collection includes four styles for men and is now available
worldwide at premium department stores, independent retail stores, Rockport
retail stores and on rockport.com.

When Michael Rupp was appointed CEO in 2008, he encouraged the Rockport
designers to return to the company`s roots. He recognized that Rockport has
authentic, heritage footwear styles, like DresSports, that could be streamlined
and modernized to appeal to today`s consumer. With the positive reaction to the
updated DresSports collection, the company plans to continue to refresh legacy
footwear styles and introduce them in future seasonal collections.

About Rockport

The Rockport Company, LLC, is a leading brand within the adidas Group corporate
portfolio and the top brown shoe company in the United States. Rockport has a
heritage of innovation and offers comfortable footwear for men and women
worldwide. The Rockport Company, LLC, was established in the United States in
1971 and is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts. The company currently
distributes footwear to more than 70 countries. For more information, visit
www.rockport.com.

About the ING Run For Something Better

The ING Run For Something Better is a fundraising campaign that supports
community and school-based youth running programs. Linked to ING's long-distance
race sponsorships, the program was created to introduce kids to the benefits of
sport, a habit of physical fitness, and a healthy lifestyle that prevents
conditions such as childhood obesity. In today's world of poor nutrition and
less-active lifestyles-which may contribute to childhood obesity-ING is using
its position as a sponsor of marathons as a platform for helping kids get fit
through free, school-based running programs. Nationally, ING has committed over
$2.5 million to fund grants and school-based running programs through ING Run
For Something Better. Since 2006, over a half a million dollars has been raised
by individual donors through the orange laces program. ING has also created a
special charitable fund to encourage others to support the cause by making their
own contribution. When someone donates $10 or more to the ING Run For Something
Better, ING will recognize their contribution by giving them a special pair of
orange shoelaces to wear showing that they are "tied" to supporting kids'
fitness. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of orange laces go to the ING Run
For Something Better fitness programs. For more information about the orange
laces, go to www.orangelaces.com.

For The Rockport Company
Mark Tanno
Account Director
646-792-2490 (office)
Mark.Tanno@mcsaatchi.com
or
Sandra Carreon-John
Senior Vice President
646-274-1295 (office)
Sandra.Carreonjohn@mcsaatchi.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009