An 875km Run & Socks for The Homeless

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." ―Winston Churchill

Hi, my name is Jim. I'll be tackling an epic challenge of running 875km from Hamilton, Ontario to Boston, Massachusetts over 2 weeks to raise funds to give socks to homeless shelters. Yes, socks.

As an ultra runner, I know a lot about foot care and socks. In fact… I LOVE SOCKS. I often tell my runner friends they need to "up their sock game"! Socks are an important piece of gear for runners, but did you know that SOCKS are the #1 requested clothing item at homeless shelters? For many people experiencing homelessness, walking is their primary mode of transportation. Good, clean socks help promote good foot care and allows them to better access food, shelter, medical and housing services. 

My goal is to raise funds for 875 pairs of new socks, one pair for every kilometer I'm going to run on this Hamilton to Boston super-marathon. 

I will begin the challenge on March 31, 2019 by running the oldest race in North America - the Around the Bay 30km Road Race in Hamilton, ON - which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. From there, my run will continue for two weeks across the U.S border, through New York state, over the mountains in Vermont, and on to Hopkinton, Massachusetts. There, on April 15th, I will participate in the 123rd running of the Boston Marathon, the world's oldest annually run marathon.

For many runners, qualifying for and running the prestigious Boston marathon is their ultimate goal. For me, I've always believed in the power of the journey. Life has taught me to look for the beauty in the struggle. From a childhood of relying on social assistance programs and sometimes not having a roof over my head, to my battle with cancer, to running ultramarathons on 5 continents, my mantra has become "take another step". Sometimes what seems like the smallest act, or tiniest step, can have a profound impact.

This is where I need your help. Please consider supporting me on this journey and give a pair of socks to someone in need so they can "take another step". I need $1000 to offset some of the costs of this journey.  Every dollar after that $1000 will go toward buying socks for shelters across the country. We can do this!

Follow me on Instagram where I will be posting updates of this journey: @optimismninja  #hamilton2boston #run4socks

*UPDATE*

We're happy to announce that we've partnered with Darn Tough and MEC ! Darn Tough make some of the best, most durable socks out there, backed by an unconditional lifetime guarantee.  It's important for us to get good quality socks that are going to last a long time for people living on the streets. It's something we can feel proud about.

I'm thankful that MEC continues to support all my adventures after many years as an ambassador and they’ve offered to give us an amazing ‘at cost’ deal on Darn Tough socks which will help stretch our donation fund as far as possible! Darn Tough has agreed to match the donations pair for pair, so your donation of one pair of socks (average price is $30) effectively becomes FOUR PAIRS with the generous help of MEC and Darn Tough! 

Thanks for your support and please help us spread the word so we can reach our goal!