There is nothing like a good pair of shoes. Comfortable, form fitting, stylish, light, supportive…you name it. The right pair of shoes can boost your confidence like no other. As runners we become slightly obsessive about them, and for good reason! The right fit will prevent injuries and keep us running longer. I took personal offense when Saucony upgraded their Kinvaras a few years ago and my favorite style no longer fit the same. Brooks saved the day, but now their Revels are new and I’m in the same predicament as before! If I was writing an Instagram post, I’d hashtag this #firstworldproblems! What a fortunate problem to have! I found a new pair btw… Cotton candy pink, incredibly light and fit like they were made for me. I feel like my son when he was little, “hey mom, check out my fast shoes!”
And yet now I have a new problem…a closet full of beautiful running shoes that despite being worn for a few hundred miles, are still perfectly good shoes. I can’t just throw them away. I still have the shoes I wore at the Boston marathon. I’ve kept the shoes that carried me through the footsteps of the elites and had tears spilled on them through hard runs and across finish lines. It got me thinking. Who would benefit from these shoes?
Soles4Souls is a non-profit organization that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. This June, Templeton Run Club will be holding a shoe drive to collect gently worn shoes to donate back to this organization. Since 2006, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 53 million pairs of new and gently-worn shoes in 127 countries around the world to provide relief and create economic opportunities. We hope to collect at least 200 pairs of shoes (I have five in my closet right now!…195 to go…)
From June 1st until June 30th, you can drop your clean, gently worn shoes off at the following locations:
Templeton:
Templeton Recreation Department
Twin Cities Community Hospital in the Founders Pavilion
Paso Robles:
Atascadero:
San Luis Obispo:
GH Sports (permanent drop off location!)
You can also bring shoe donations to any of our group runs throughout the month. (Please make sure your shoes are tied together by their laces or bound by a rubber band.) Speaking of next month, June will be a busy month for us! Kids are graduating high school and some of our runners will be wrapping up training for the Sun Valley Marathon in Idaho.
Keep an eye on the calendar as some of our regular group run days will be postponed. Also, if you’re running over the Memorial Day weekend, be careful out there! Get out early and avoid those busy roads!
Happy Running friends!
Rosalie Smith
rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com
Templeton Run Club
PO Box 522
Templeton, Ca. 93465