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Piles and Piles of Shoes
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Hey All,
Just curious what you do with retired running shoes. I tend to fully retire them from training at about the 500km mark. But most are still going strong for walking around, playing with the kiddos, commuting on my mountain bike, etc.

However, the pile has grown large these days. I feel odd about donating them because they've been beaten and sweat through, but maybe in over thinking it.

What is everyone doing?
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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Garbage can.
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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I keep one pair as "canoe shoes" (i.e. I don't mind if they get muddy/gross, etc.). The rest I bring to shoe recycling. The local Nike store, and Sports Basement (a Bay Area chain) both have recycling bins.

If the shoes are still in reasonable shape (no upper holes/rips and the sole isn't worn through), I clean them up (washing machine with some bleach...there are threads on shoe cleaning) and donate them to Googdwill.

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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No

"They know f_ck-all over at Slowtwitch"
- Lionel Sanders
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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I throw them in the car, and give them to the next homeless/less fortunate person I see on the streets. I've been doing this for years. Its like Christmas for some of those folks.

Athlinks / Strava
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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Trash can or good will. Some folks need cheap shoes, so Goodwill is a great option.

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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My local Fleet Feet takes them and donates them.

Let food be thy medicine...
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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Most nike outlets have a recycle bin. They use the rubber for surfacing indoor running tracks and the like.
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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Tons of clothes/shoes donation boxes around where I live. I pack an IM bag, throw it in a car and dispose of it when I have 30 seconds to pull over.

Or take it on an occasional Sports Basement run like someone’s already mentioned but that’s probably not available in your area...

FWIW, donation bins pop up even in more places during the Holidays, hope you find one!
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond wrote:
Garbage can.

WTF.

Never this in our household. Yes, we live in a crazy crazy world where so many of us are wealthy enough to put perfectly good shoes in the garbage. And then we wonder why most societies are drowning in their own waste.

We always donate our used running shoes. To so many people in so many parts of the world, comfortable flexible shoes without holes in their soles are a nearly priceless commodity.

Advanced Aero TopTube Storage for Road, Gravel, & Tri...ZeroSlip & Direct-mount, made in the USA.
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Last edited by: DarkSpeedWorks: Oct 5, 19 17:03
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [DarkSpeedWorks] [ In reply to ]
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DarkSpeedWorks wrote:
jimatbeyond wrote:
Garbage can.

WTF.

Never this in our household. Yes, we live in a crazy crazy world where so many of us are wealthy enough to put perfectly good shoes in the f*cking garbage. And then we wonder why most societies are drowning in their own waste.

We always donate our used running shoes. To so many people in so many parts of the world, comfortable flexible shoes without holes in their soles are a nearly priceless commodity.

Agree. Donate for crying out loud!!!!!
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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Foolless wrote:
Hey All,
Just curious what you do with retired running shoes. I tend to fully retire them from training at about the 500km mark. But most are still going strong for walking around, playing with the kiddos, commuting on my mountain bike, etc.

However, the pile has grown large these days. I feel odd about donating them because they've been beaten and sweat through, but maybe in over thinking it.

What is everyone doing?

Wash them, then donate.
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Anton84] [ In reply to ]
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Looks like I need to find a good cause down here in Latam for donation.
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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All mine get donated to a homeless shelter.

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [DarkSpeedWorks] [ In reply to ]
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I run in my shoes until they are worn out.

Then I wear them while I am doing handyman work until they are almost destroyed.

Then they go in the garbage can.
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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I take mine to goodwill.

Next races on the schedule: none at the moment
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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Donate to Goodwill. They are perfectly fine shoes for walking. Just not for running. When they are shot they don't look worn out.
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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Foolless wrote:
Hey All,
Just curious what you do with retired running shoes. I tend to fully retire them from training at about the 500km mark. But most are still going strong for walking around, playing with the kiddos, commuting on my mountain bike, etc.

However, the pile has grown large these days. I feel odd about donating them because they've been beaten and sweat through, but maybe in over thinking it.

What is everyone doing?

Run them for at least 500-1000 km more. Retiring shoes after 500 km is just crazy.
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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You could make them into lamp stands


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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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Cat peed on my shoes. Those went to trashcan.

They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [Foolless] [ In reply to ]
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I 'cascade' mine...
Tier 1:
- dog walking shoes
- general use / out and about
- walking / cycling (flat pedals) to work

Tier 2.
- DIY / Garden / spannering in bike/ in garage

Tier 3.
(The worst / most minging)
- wear to swim starts / when getting out of swims.


By the end of that, They're pretty fooked / rank.
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Re: Piles and Piles of Shoes [BobAjobb] [ In reply to ]
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For those of you who run shoes into the ground and keep them around for lawnmowers until they are trashed... what do you do with the other 50 pairs that pile up in the mean time?

I train for at least 1000 miles on a pair of shoes. Then they easily last another couple years as lawnmowers. In that time, as this thread suggests, I have amassed another pile of shoes. By the time one pair of lawn mowers is trashed, If I didn't give my shoes to the less fortunate folks, I would have enough pairs of lawnmowers, to last the rest of my life, even if I quit running.

Athlinks / Strava
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