What to Do With Old Running Shoes The average life expectancy of running shoes is between 300 & 500 kilometers. New evidence states that once your shoes have surpassed their kilometer limit by over 100, not only does the cushioning become too soft as you run in them, but also it has been found to cause irreversible damage to your joints if you don’t retire them right away. The very best way to avoid all of this pain and injury is easy: Buy more than one pair! Each time you complete another 100 kilometers, replace your old pair with a new pair so you never have to be worried about supporting all that extra weight on your body nice and wear-resistant of course. Now here are further ideas if one just doesn’t want to let go of his or her terribly worn-out kicks yet.
What to Do With Old Running Shoes? When you run so much that you have to retire a pair of running shoes, where can you recycle them? Are there others who could be using them? Whether it’s at your local sports store or an organization that helps with shoeless efforts internationally, contact these groups as soon as possible once you know it’s time to say goodbye to your old sneakers and maybe even grab yourself a brand new pair that are both more comfortable and better for the environment!
What to Do With Old Running Shoes? Recycle? Upcycle? Donate?
1. Dedicated Trail Shoes
If you like spending time hiking and trail running, you’ve probably had to deal with muddy trails. When it’s raining outside and your shoes are getting soaked rather than making you enjoy the experience a little more, it can be detrimental, leading to toe or heel blisters or worse. Even after washing them off multiple times in the ocean or lakes at the end of those long runs, they might need some extra care.
What to Do With Old Running Shoes If a pair of shoes typically lasts you 350-400 miles, turning them from your daily training shoe to a trail one will give you much more enjoyment. After all, you’re going to want to enjoy stomping around in the mud or heading straight into an ankle-deep creek if you’re moving that far away from civilization.
2. Repurposing
Once running shoes have fulfilled their purpose for running, many athletes choose to continue using them for a variety of different activities. What to Do With Old Running Shoes For example, if you’re walking to the beach on a gorgeous day and don’t want your nice deck shoes full of sand or water from the surf, consider using your old running shoes to protect your feet from puddles.
3. Reusing In Non-traditional Ways
As avid runners, we like knowing that there is a wheelbarrow of our favorite breakfast cereal waiting to be sipped on after a round of morning runs. As an added bonus, what if the wheelbarrow was actually made out of the same pair of running shoes you ran your personal best time in? This never-before-seen nutritional concoction would surely make one’s day. What to Do With Old Running Shoes Another consideration is knowing that when you get tired of a running shoe, perhaps you could continue to use it and have fun – like as part of a garden kit.
4. Donating
If you’re looking for a way to help the environment, you should consider contributing old sneakers! As a coach, runners contact me again and again about shoes that they originally fell in love with, but eventually found uncomfortable. With a little curation by myself (and sometimes by the runners themselves), I am able to find homes for shoes that may have only have been worn 20 miles or so.
A pair of old sports sneakers may be outdated for one runner, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come in handy for another. What to Do With Old Running Shoes The same can be said about any apparel or equipment that gets worn out from overuse: old basketball jerseys don’t mean much to you, so why not donate them to a group as the Special Olympics will gladly put them to good use? Next time your shoes have seen better days, send ‘em on over.
How to Recycling Old Running Shoes?
1. TerraCycle
TerraCycle is a company that, for a fee, recycles old clothing and household waste. There’s also an option to collect athletic shoes at running events around the city in exchange for several pairs of running socks made of recycled material. Recycling items can seem like a hassle because there’s so much stuff you shouldn’t put in your curbside bin, but there are local curbside drop-off sites as well one could be near you.
2. Nike Reuse-a-Shoe
Nike believes in creating products that can be reused and sometimes that means giving old shoes a completely different new life. The recycled material is then called Nike Grind and it’s made into sports surfaces and performance products.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this blog about what to do with old running shoes. We love hearing about the different ways people use their old running shoes. Getting rid of old running shoes can be a little tricky because it’s important to be sure that your old sneakers are disposed of in an eco-friendly way. Whether you’ve been running for years or you’re just beginning, it can be hard to know what to do with old shoes. You’re not just getting rid of a pair of shoes, you’re getting rid of memories and a part of your history. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered, We hope you found this article helpful.
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