Happy feet: Students get outfitted with donated running shoes ahead of Manitoba Marathon

About 250 kids from remote and inner city communities were fitted for happy feet Saturday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s Manitoba Marathon events.

Zoe Yanke, 16, bused from her home community of Gillam to run in the Manitoba Marathon 10-kilometre race Sunday morning. She and about a dozen of her peers are participating in several of the events and were gifted a new pair of shoes ahead of race day through the Soles4Souls program.

The program hosts events across North America and donates shoes, socks and active wear to kids in need.

At the University of Manitoba’s student centre, not far from Sunday’s starting line, students trickled in by the busload and were met by a volunteer who fitted them for shoes. From there, a “runner” volunteer fetched a few options for them to try on for size, fit and style.

The options give them autonomy over their experience, when so often rural communities can only accept the options given to them through donation.

Yanke’s pick was a white and pink pair of Adidas runners with a ton of cushion on the soles.

“I have some shoes, but they’re not good for running and I was a little worried my feet would get sore or I would get injured,” she said.

The shoe options in Gillam, located about 250 kilometres northeast of Thompson, are slim, Yanke says. The shipments they get to their community are sparse and shipment costs jack up the price of the already expensive shoes.

Some students travelled in from as far as Brochet, a northern fly-in community north of Lynn Lake, and Leaf Rapids, a 10-hour drive south to Winnipeg. Schools in Winnipeg’s inner city were also selected to participate in the event. All students were participating in one of the Manitoba Marathon races in some fashion through the Champions in Training program, which works with Manitoba schools to offer running opportunities to kids.

Saturday’s shoe drive at the University of Manitoba was one of the largest events in Canada. Lisa O’Keefe, vice-president of community relations at Soles4Souls, said given the fact the kids were participating in running events, the shoes were specially selected to meet their running needs.

The shoes are donated from big box stores like The Shoe Company and Designer Shoe Warehouse, and running brands Reebok also donated some shoes.

“The number of kids I’ve talked to who say, ‘I have to wear these because it’s all I have,’ just tells you what kind of need there is,” O’Keefe said.

Some students come in wearing their parents old shoes or a pair that doesn’t fit, because it’s their only option, O’Keefe said. The shoes offered through Soles4Souls events are size inclusive, but if a student doesn’t find the right fit, a pair of shoes will be mailed to them to ensure they get what they want.

The event also had active wear on hand for girls who don’t have access to items like sports bras.

“That’s often a barrier for girls and females accessing sports, specifically running, so it’s really great to be able to provide that to these girls,” said Sarah Carroll, the community relations manager for the Manitoba Marathon. “This is a very soul-filling event because the kids really deserve it.”

The Manitoba Marathon works with each community to identify the needs of their students and do their best to accommodate the requests, Carroll said. In addition to shoes, each runner leaves with a pair of socks and some sunglasses.

Yanke has just began her running journey and says the shoes give her a leg up on her training. The running season in Gillam is short and she and her peers often have to go for their runs in snow or be forced to train indoors.

“It’s pretty cool, honestly,” she said.

At least 10,000 people run in the Manitoba Marathon across seven events each year, held every Father’s Day.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca