Wagner: Let someone else walk a mile in your used running shoes

Perhaps your last pair of running shoes helped you through a particularly tough or stressful time in your life, or maybe your most important race.

It doesn’t seem quite right to just toss them aside, out of sight and mind in a dark recess of your house, ranking right above a piece of trash.

So what do you do with those extra pairs of running shoes?

Fargo’s Lee Hoedl has an idea.

He’s been working with the Fargo Catholic Schools Network on the “Let the World Walk Another Mile in your Shoes” program, a collaboration forged with GreenSneakers.

The program takes usable athletic shoes and puts them in the hands of adults and children who need affordable footwear.

“What is as rewarding as walking a mile in someone else’s shoes? Allowing them to walk that next mile in your shoes,” is a program catch phrase, Lee said in an email.

And it’s easy to donate.

Simply drop usable athletic shoes (no dress or casual shoes are accepted) in the dark blue drop bin on the edge of the Shanley-Sullivan schools parking lot, 5600 25th St. S., Fargo.

Shoes will be collected and sorted by GreenSneakers, which will distribute pairs domestically and abroad. As a partner, the Fargo Catholic Schools Network receives a small portion of the proceeds.

“As a personal testimony, I got involved … because of my interest in recycling and pre-cycling initiatives, as well as my love for running,” Lee said. “I’ve always wanted to donate my running shoes, with so many quality walking miles on them” to help others.

As a guideline to runners, Lee said a good barometer for deciding when to donate your shoes is counting the miles.

“Typically you should get at least 350 miles from a solid training shoe, and you can reasonably expect another 100 to 200 miles,” he says.

There are other tips for determining when to donate your shoes, but one easy way is ask someone who knows shoes. If you think you need a new pair, it’s probably time to make a drive with your old shoes and find that drop bin.

Tags: fargo marathon, sports, recycling, running, health