Running enthusiasts burn rubber when they set foot on city streets or rocky off-road trails and it doesn't take them long to wear the tread off their soles.
There's usually not much else wrong with those shoes.
In fact, there's usually still plenty of life left in them when they end up in the discard pile.
A local sporting goods store recognized there was a way to connect those slightly used runners with people willing to give them a new lease on life and has collected close to 500 pairs of athletic footwear to be given away free.
Stride & Glide Sports is sponsoring Free Shoe Day today from 9 a.m. to noon at the John McInnis Centre for Learning Alternatives, 3400 Westwood Dr.
"We have always collected shoes at the store from our customers and our staff and on a very casual basis we've given them out to people who have needed them, whether it's through teachers or coaches or learn-to-run groups," said Tuppy Hoehn, co-owner of the store.
"Our collection has really grown and we wanted to find a way to reach into the community."
Hoehn is patterning the Prince George program after an initiative started five years ago by Brainstop, an independent running store in Saskatoon. Stride & Glide's collection is mostly running shoes, most of which are adult sizes, but there's also a collection of kids soccer cleats available.
"There's not a lot of casual stuff, more the kind of shoes you can do exercise in and be active," said Hoehn.
"A lot of families need help with this sort of thing. If you have two, three or four kids, buying good shoes for those kids can really add up. We don't have a lot of small sizes but for Grade 6 and up, into high school, we have shoes that will definitely work for them. I'm hoping we see a mix of everybody."
Hoehn said athletic shoe donations will be accepted throughout the year at Stride & Glide, 1671 15th Ave.
