Fun and Fitness for the 40-Something

If you’re anything like me, you probably have at least one old pair of running shoes stuck in a closet. I don’t really know why I hold on to them (in case there’s some type of running-shoe emergency? I haven’t had one yet), but, at this moment, I have two old pairs in my bedroom. One pair I actually wear to the gym; the others I haven’t touched since I bought my last pair. It just didn’t feel right to throw them out.

But no more! I recently discovered several organizations that accept old running shoes and re-distribute them to people in need:

Soles4Souls: The organization coordinated relief efforts for the Asian Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, netting over 1 million pairs donated for these disasters.

Hope Runs: A non-profit  working in Kenya and Tanzania, using athletics, education and social entrepreneurship to empower AIDS orphans.

One World Running: An international program promoting an awareness of health, fitness and nutrition by providing running shoes to those in need in the United States and around the world. The organization, started by a group of runners in 1986, also holds 5K walk/runs to foster an environment of exercise and to increase understanding and goodwill between people.

The Shoe Bank: The program provides shoes for 20,000 people every year—primarily children, both here and abroad.

Just drop those old shoes into the box your new shoes came in and pop over to the post office or UPS store. When you pay $90 or more for a pair of running shoes, it’s nice to know they can have more than one life.