Local running companies Oiselle and Brooks make sponsorship moves with Fleshman & Scherer...

We start off the 2013 season with some news involving local running companies Oiselle and Brooks.

Seattle-based women's running apparel maker Oiselle announced that they have signed nationally ranked runner and Stanford alum Lauren Fleshman (left/photo by Paul Merca) to an endorsement deal, after being sponsored by Nike for ten years.

Fleshman, a three-time world championships team member and former winner of the Seattle Open Cross Country Classic, recently announced on her blog that she and her husband, pro triathlete Jesse Thomas, are expecting their first child in June.

We’ve been super fans of Lauren for quite a while. We’re not alone of course - she is admired around the world," said Sally Bergesen, CEO of Oiselle.  “For me, her appeal comes down to a mix of straight-up, world-class athleticism plus a very real, very down-to-earth persona. She makes anyone who follows her – young, old, fast, slow – feel connected, as we share in the ups and downs of not just running, but of life. We’re over the moon that we get to work with her; she is both a hero and friend.”

You can read the company's release here.

Meanwhile, former University of Oregon standout Matt Scherer, who has carved a niche for himself as a designated pacesetter for several of the world's leading middle distance runners, announced on his Twitter feed that he has picked up a sponsorship deal with Bothell-based Brooks Sports.

Scherer, who a few months ago moved to Tacoma to train with former Oregon TC Elite teammate and US Olympic Trials 800 meter finalist Mark Wieczorek, has been a mainstay on the pro circuit, rabbiting at distances from 800 to the mile on the Samsung Diamond League circuit.

Finally, Eastern Washington alum Mattie Suver and Bellingham native Jake Riley have been named to the Team USA roster for Saturday's BUPA Great Edinburgh Cross Country International Challenge race at Holyrood Park in Scotland.

Both were named to the team based on winning last month's USATF National Club Cross Country Championships in Lexington, Kentucky.

The event features the international team challenge which includes senior and junior teams from Great Britain & Northern Ireland, the USA and Europe compete in four separate races with the aim of taking the overall team challenge title. The winning team is determined by the best aggregate finishing positions over the four races.