INDIGENOUS and disadvantaged people in the Dubbo and far-western communities will have no excuse not to get active, thanks to the generosity of the city's parkrun participants.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Close to 100 pairs of shoes had been donated through the Shoes For Planet Earth program that was run by Dubbo Parkrun in conjunction with Marathon Health, and Dubbo Parkrun's Tim Morris said the response had been overwhelming.
"Each week we've taken the box down to parkrun it has been filled up, and the thing is most people have one or two pairs of shoes lying around at home and they're happy to know they will be going to people who need them," Mr Morris said.
"We've still got donations coming in, so even though we've officially finished the campaign we'll still take shoes for another week or so if people want to be involved."
"Our numbers are still up around that 300 mark and I think since we started in the middle of last year our participants have clocked up over 42,000 kilometres."
- Tim Morris
Almost half of the donated shoes have already been claimed by Charlie Maher, a local parkrun participant who works closely with the Indigenous Marathon Program.
Mr Morris said the work Mr Maher did with children and teens was vital in helping bridge the health gap in western parts of the state.
"Charlie works closely with these kids to get them active, and because he is so active himself he is a very good role model for them," Mr Morris said.
"For some of the kids he works with, having a pair of suitable shoes might be the thing holding them back from getting out and running and being more active.
"If any of them show potential as far as marathons or other running events are concerned then it could also be the thing that helps them take it more seriously and be a path for them.
"We still haven't figured out 100 per cent where the other shoes will go but it will be local charities that benefit from them."
Of course the donations would not be possible without the generosity of the people giving up their shoes in the first place.
For Mr Morris, the donations were another example of how parkrun had been of benefit to Dubbo.
"I really can't believe how successful parkrun has been, and I don't think (event director) Miriam (Tan) can believe it either," he said.
"Our numbers are still up around that 300 mark and I think since we started in the middle of last year our participants have clocked up over 42,000 kilometres.
"The good thing about Dubbo Parkrun is that it's not only there for runners. People of all ages, sizes and abilities take part and we have a great group of volunteers that help it run each week.
"I don't think there has been many Saturdays where we have had to look for volunteers on the morning so the community has really embraced it."