Fritz Taylor

by Corporate on April 27, 2011

Fritz discovered his passion for running after he was cut from the soccer team at the University of North Carolina in his junior year. Determined to find an alternative sport to love, Fritz then set his sights on running a marathon and a few months later he finished the 1979 Marine Corps Marathon in 2:50. That ignited a long-term passion for running and running shoes that has spanned a 23 year career working on some of the most notable running products of the last decades.

Fritz led the running product teams at both Nike and Brooks before joining Mizuno in 2008 as GM and VP of the Running Division. While at Nike, Fritz is credited with re-igniting their core running business by introducing the Bowerman Series in 1999 and by fostering new innovations like Shox and Nike Lunar. Since coming to Mizuno, Fritz has led the fastest growing brand in the running industry and has helped the brand launch its first ever integrated marketing campaign.

Fritz lives in Decatur, GA with his wife and 2 kids. Fritz’s wife, Rianne, is an accomplished food writer who has published 4 cookbooks while continuing to write weekly articles for her native Dutch newspapers. Fueled by her cooking, Fritz has found a new outlet for his competitive fires in the lively cycling scene in Decatur where he can be found mixing it up with much younger competitors in weekly group rides and races.