Since 1986, One World Running, has collected, washed and sent athletic shoes, along with T-shirts, shorts, medicine and school to developing countries.
Originally called Shoes for Africa, the group was formed after sports journalist Michael Sandrock returned from a coaching and racing trip in Cameroon, West Africa, sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency. Many of the runners from Cameroon ran barefoot (and were still able to beat Sandrock).
Afterward, several Boulder elite runners including Lorraine Moller, Steve Jones, and Arturo Barrios began shipping shoes to West Africa. The project has grown since then under the directorship of Ana Weir, an ER nurse, who was named a 2005 Hero of Running by Runner’s World Magazine.
The process.
Receive
Receive
Wash and Sort
Wash and Sort
Distribute
Distribute
Not suitable shoes for use are recycled through the Reuse-a-Shoe program.
Mission
One World Running is 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. We also put on 5K walk/runs to foster an enviroment of exercise and to increase understanding and goodwill between people.