Nike draws more than 10,000 runners at Reuse-A-Shoe
30 May '05
4 min read
22,000 sq. ft. beer garden.
The island also played host to Toronto's Largest Reuse-A-Shoe bin, standing ten feet tall by six feet wide by six feet deep. The clear glass bin held nearly 4,000 of the more than 30,000 pairs of shoes collected during the campaign. Runners coming to the island were seen with armfuls of pre-loved sneakers that they had come to donate to Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe Program.
The Reuse-A-Shoe program is one of the ways that Nike continues to give back to the community. Through the collection of tired old athletic shoes from any brand, Nike creates a material referred to as Nike Grind. Nike Grind is used to create new sports surfaces from the rubber, foam and upper fabric of the shoes. From hardwood basketball floors to running tracks, it's a win for the environment and a win for the kids who have these sports surfaces donated in communities where they wouldn't otherwise have access to high performance sports surfaces.
"I am so proud to be a part of RUNTO this year," says Perdita Felicien, one of Canada's Olympic athletes. "It is great to come home and see so many people enjoying a sport that is so dear to my heart. Keep it up Toronto!"
The end of the 10k also bids farewell to the running rivals - Bay Street Brat, Urban Suburban, Uptown Girl, Sand Man, Motha Nature and Domestic Diva, who cheered on their training run teams that they rallied and encouraged since early April and wished them the best of luck in their future runs.
RUNTO was originally launched i