The easy way for runners to donate pre-loved trainers to those who need them most and help tackle waste.
Ahead of the TCS London Marathon on Sunday 21st April 2024: JogOn is encouraging you to look in your cupboard, garage and under the bed to find your unwanted, no longer used running shoes and send them on to help a purpose-driven, sustainable cause.
For the first time this year, JogOn has partnered with the TCS London Marathon, allowing hundreds of trainers to be donated using the drop-off points provided by JogOn at the 2024 TCS London Marathon Running Show, where participants collect their running bibs before the event.
An estimated 33 million pairs of running shoes end up in landfill each year, many of which have life left in them and could benefit others. There are in the region of 18 billion pairs of running shoes sold in the world every year, yet there are also millions of people living with no access to shoes. JogOn’s purpose is simple: To repurpose your unwanted trainers.
The JogOn journey began after Founder Tony Piedade read an article back in 2020 which reported that it can take up to 1,000 years to degrade a pair of running shoes in landfill. Keen to do something about this problem, he set up the JogOn campaign from his garage, where he still operates today. To date, JogOn has removed over 20 tonnes of running shoes from landfill and the campaign aims to keep one million pairs of trainers out of landfill each year.
Of the shoes they receive, 97% are still in good enough condition to be re-used with many miles left in them. These are sent to their charity partners, NGOs or micro-economies across the UK and overseas, and given to people who need them most. Those that are end of life, which is only 3% to date, are disposed of sustainably in the UK via a waste-to-energy plant where electricity is generated from incinerating waste.
Tony Piedade, founder of JogOn, said: “Our partnership with London Marathon Events will give a huge boost to our efforts to keep 1 million pairs of running shoes from going to landfill. By providing drop-off points at the London Marathon Running Show, where participants go before the event, we are making it easier than ever for thousands of runners to donate their un-wanted trainers to a worthy and sustainable cause”.
Kate Chapman, head of sustainability at London Marathon Events, said: “Every participant in our running events will have at least one pair of running trainers and it’s likely they will also have other trainers they no longer use. The majority of these trainers end up in being thrown away, but our partnership with JogOn means we can now encourage all our participants to check their cupboards for unwanted running shoes and bring them to the drop-off locations at the TCS London Marathon. JogOn can then give new life to pre-loved trainers and donate them to people who need them.”
As an alternative, it could not be easier or simpler to donate your shoes from home:
JogOn has partnered with Evri as its official delivery partner. For £2, you can download a postage label from the JogOn website that allows you to donate up to 40 pairs or 15 kilos worth of donated shoes to JogOn at one time.
You can also simply head to JogOn website for information about your closest drop-off point of which there are currently over 200 across the UK, spanning leisure centres to individual luxury hotels, universities and sports retailers.
To get involved and learn more about the campaign visit https://www.jogonagain.com
For further information, imagery or interview requests contact jogon@aspirepr.co.uk
Editors Notes
About JogOn Founder Tony:
Tony Piedade is a self-confessed “plodder” with a passion for getting people to get more active. In 2009 he launched www.joggingbuddy.com to help people “buddy up” and get active. Tony recognised early that one of the barriers to getting “out of the door” was much more to do with the human need for routine and accountability, than with tech and the free website now has members in 128 countries. Tony’s early career with sports started as a lifeguard and then fitness instructor and swimming teacher at some prestigious clubs including the Grosvenor House Hotel, Broadgate Health Club and the famous Chelsea Harbour Club. He has completed several marathons including London and New York, twice.
