Marathon Sports then signed a contract with the Ecuadorian Football Federation for an unknown number of years.

[1] The first national squad jersey design had a band of thick blue and red stripes on the right shoulder reflecting the flag of Ecuador.

After a great, although unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup in 1998, the Ecuadorian Federation decided to stick with the brand.

Marathon Sports consolidated as an international brand, having sponsored not only football teams in Ecuador but in Peru (Deportivo Municipal) and Uruguay (Rampla Juniors).

The offer largely overcome Adidas', which had also showed interest in the Peruvian team.