Attack of the Sneaker-Clad Women

If you've ever seen or participated in a marathon, or any running event for that matter - you'd typically expect that most of people surrounding you are males. If we were talking about 15 or 20 years ago...this may be true, but according to the National Sporting Goods Association, it is estimated that the number of female casual runners rose by 13.6 percent between 1999 and 2004, outpacing men by 6 percent. Today, women comprise 40% of marathon finishers.

The catalyst for all of this is Title IX, which was passed in 1972 and in a nutshell prevented discrimination based on gender in an academic setting. The women of generation X and Y were the first to experience playing sports in high school and college, and proceeding generations have had the opportunities to see professional womens' leagues form and become popularized.

With the ever-increasing amount of women participating in sports - athletic brands such as Asics have noticed sales in female running shoes climbed 20 percent in 2004 and 40 percent in 2005. The company is estimating a 30 percent growth by the end of this year. Many brands have even launched mini-sites devoted solely to women's merchandise such as sneakers. Nike even created an entire department aimed at designing and engineering women's running shoes.

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