How far can a pair of shoes take you
The Holiday season is now upon us. That means, it is the time of year to be thankful for the things that we have and the family that we have around us.
But sometimes not everyone is so fortunate.
During some of the down time while we were at the OBX marathon, Bob was telling us about some of the runners on his cross country team.
Because family financial situations, some of the runners were running in used running shoes. I am not too old yet, that I cannot remember back to high school and running in the same shoes every day. The shock absorption was long gone before I would stop wearing them.
Bob responded pretty quickly and accepted my offer. In his email he provided the shoe size and his address. A few mouse clicks later, I had bought 2 pair of shoes and had them shipped directly to Bob. He emailed my a few days later that the shoes had arrived and were quickly put into use.
I don't think anything could have made me feel any better than knowing these kids were off and running in new shoes.
Now, I am not sharing this story to promote my self, but because I want to encourage other runners help as well. Buying two pairs is not a lot but if those shoes help give those kids an opportunity to improve their lives, then the investment will have been worth.
But sometimes not everyone is so fortunate.
During some of the down time while we were at the OBX marathon, Bob was telling us about some of the runners on his cross country team.
Because family financial situations, some of the runners were running in used running shoes. I am not too old yet, that I cannot remember back to high school and running in the same shoes every day. The shock absorption was long gone before I would stop wearing them.
Going above and beyond, Bob was doing what any good coach would do. He does his best to get the best shoes possible into the hands or in this case on the feet of his runners.
His story seemed to really hit home for me when he told us about this one particular kid that saw running as his chance at getting an education. This kid would do whatever Bob asked in order to improve.
In the week after the marathon, Bob's story kept rolling over in the back of my mind. I enjoy running and felt that I needed to step up to the plate and do something. So, I sent Bob an email asking if I could help and what size shoe did he need most and where could I ship them.Bob responded pretty quickly and accepted my offer. In his email he provided the shoe size and his address. A few mouse clicks later, I had bought 2 pair of shoes and had them shipped directly to Bob. He emailed my a few days later that the shoes had arrived and were quickly put into use.
I don't think anything could have made me feel any better than knowing these kids were off and running in new shoes.
Now, I am not sharing this story to promote my self, but because I want to encourage other runners help as well. Buying two pairs is not a lot but if those shoes help give those kids an opportunity to improve their lives, then the investment will have been worth.
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