New Balance Tampa Blog

I was speaking to a friend of mine about my last blog and he asked a very good question. What do I do with all my retired shoes? Even casual runners and walkers can accrue quite a pile of debunked shoes. The thought of my favorite old 1222 ending up in a landfill makes me cringe so how could I give them a second life. There is the organization Shoes4Africa that takes donated old running shoes and gives them to desperately needy children in Africa. They also sponsor races to raise AIDS awareness. The New York Road Runners will be waiting at the finish line of the ING New York Marathon to collect shoes right off the marathoners' feet for this organization. If your in New York on Marathon Monday bring as many old pairs as you can (*new ones too for that matter). If your interested in a charity closer to home One World Running donates shoes to needy individuals in Africa, the US and Latin America. Soccer cleats are also much appreciated by both organizations as well. These are great charities to sponsor especially for running clubs and school teams. They do ask that the shoes still have a decent outsole and about 100 miles worth of life in them. It is also a good idea to wash them and let them air dry before shipping. Take a look at the organizations sites for more info on donating.