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<div class="mceTemp" style="text-align: center;"><dl id="attachment_223" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 201px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><img class="size-medium wp-image-223" title="dsc_3129" src="http://giveyoursole.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/dsc_3129-191x300.jpg" alt="Only the beginning...." width="191" height="300" /></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd">Only the beginning....</dd></dl></div>
<span style="color: #008000;">320 Pairs Collected!<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-227" title="dsc_31091" src="http://giveyoursole.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/dsc_31091-300x250.jpg" alt="dsc_31091" width="300" height="250" />
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<span style="color: #000000;">We are so excited to share with you that we collected 320 pairs of shoes at our first event with the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon.  It was truly an amazing event with our very 1st two donors coming all the way from New York. Friday started out a little slow, mostly due to people still at work and coming to the expo in the later hours of the day.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">  Saturday came and along with it came the crowds and the shoes!  Bags of them at a time.  People brought 4 pairs, 5 pairs, 10 pairs even 12 pairs at a time.  Some people had bags in their cars they went back out to get and brought to the booth.  It was an incredible day filled with numerous runners and participants excited to see us there and asking us when we would be in their city.  </span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Sunday, race day, came next and as the runners began to finish it was all they could do to get out of their shoes and donate them right off their tired feet.  There is something symbolic in seeing people who just endured such pain hand over their shoes knowing they will be going to help someone in need.  </span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Thank you to all the donors, participants, runners, GYS volunteers and everyone at Competitor Group who made our 1st event a HUGE success.  
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