by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
Runners go through a lot of shoes. Many beat the streets until they fall apart. Hardcore runners go through even more shoes, but they tend to buy new ones long before the sneakers are unwearable.
Brothers Brian and Carey Hepler want those shoes.
The Heplers own Jacksonville Sole Purpose Shoe Crew and took used sneaker donations at the Gate River Run Expo last weekend. By the end of the race, “head shoe guy” Carey Hepler had collected 320 pairs of shoes to give to the homeless.
Hepler said runners usually have plenty of shoes to donate because they wear out the cushioning in the sneakers quickly. After about 500 miles of running, Hepler said, the sneakers are better suited for walking.
“You spend so much on them, you hate to throw them out,” said Hepler. “They typically go every four months, but they’ve got lots of life left in them.”
He said many of the River Runners were generous with their old sneakers. When the race was over, some runners gave him the shoes right off their feet — after buying another pair or bringing flip-flops, of course.
“They may be a tad sweaty, but that’s all right,” said Hepler, adding that he doesn’t usually screen the shoes for quality; instead, he lets the St. Francis Soup Kitchen decide which shoes are acceptable. They take the shoes at their soup kitchen and distribute them.
“We’ll take whatever you have,” said Hepler. “They have a lady that washes them.”
As a side project, Hepler collected donated T-shirts, also.
“Some of these people run 20-30 races a year, and you can’t wear that many T-shirts,” said Hepler.
Hepler is a runner and director of analysis and innovation marketing for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida. He started the Jacksonville branch of Sole Purpose four years ago after he saw an article on the organization.
“I saw a little blurb in Runner’s World, and I thought, ‘Well, that is the best idea,’ “ he said.
Kristina Radnoti, a California resident and founder of Sole Purpose, originally started collecting shoes for Afghan soldiers. Transporting the shoes overseas quickly became a problem. Radnoti searched for people who needed shoes in the U.S., and she found that homeless people wear out their shoes every 6-8 weeks.
Sole Purpose has donation sites in California, Michigan and New Jersey, as well. The Jacksonville branch has a regular donation box at First Place Sports. Hepler said he’s collected over 2,000 pairs of shoes so far.