Sometimes second place is good enough. So says Skechers USA, which lately has taken to publicizing itself as the No. 2 footwear brand in the United States. The No. 1 spot is occupied by Nike.

Skechers’ runner-up status comes courtesy of an annual report by Sporting Goods Intelligence, a Glen Mills, Pa., newsletter that ranks the company second based on its U.S. sales of nearly $1.1 billion for 2009. Nike’s domestic sales are about five times that figure.

The ranking isn’t new: The Manhattan Beach shoemaker became the No. 2 footwear brand in the athletic shoe category in 2008 for its 2007 sales and has remained there. But Skechers didn’t routinely include that fact in press releases until late last year.

Skechers President Michael Greenberg said in an e-mail that the company wanted to note its evolution from a small business to a major footwear maker.

“Our position in the market seemed natural to add to the releases, especially in light of how long we have been in business … just under 20 years,” Greenberg said. “Skechers has grown from a startup family business in Manhattan Beach into a $2 billion global powerhouse.”

Touting a second-place ranking is unusual but not unheard of. Avis Rent-a-Car Systems nearly 50 years ago came up with its long-running “We’re No. 2. We Try Harder” campaign.

Skechers has bragging rights other than its No. 2 status. Footwear Plus, a New York-based trade magazine, named Skechers Company of the Year last month at its annual awards for design excellence. But that’s not new, either: This is its fifth consecutive winning year.

The company has had strong sales of its Shape-up toning shoes, which feature a rounded sole that Skechers claims to help people burn calories and tone muscles as they go about their daily routine.

“Nike is the only brand ahead of us, and they are solely an athletic company,” Greenberg said. “For Skechers, a company that makes both athletic and lifestyle shoes for men, women and kids, to be second to Nike, that is a pretty great place to be.”