The Shoe Series is a series of 4 runs held in the four seasons (Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall).
Each of the races has a name:
Spring: The "Swampy Shoe"
Summer: The "Sweaty Shoe"
Fall: The "Sandy Shoe"
Winter: The "Frozen Shoe"
Here is the premise of the races. Do One Lap. Do All Laps. Just Do Something! The runs start at the King Neptune statue in Virginia Beach at 31st street. From there you do a 12.44 mile "loop". Of this mileage, about 8 miles or so is on the sand, the other almost 4.5 is on the boardwalk/bike path. No, the course is not certified. It's a fun run. Larry Watson (the founder) will take your splits for you, though :) Oh, and you will probably run at least an hour or so slower than your "regular" time. You can choose to run the whole thing. Most of the time though, the sand part will reduce you to SOME walking. Oh, and no matter the weather, the show goes on. Yep, wind, rain, snow, sun, heat..we run.
This is a different type of run than what most are used to doing. Live outside the box. Come out of your comfort zone. ENJOY running.
The reason it is called a "fun run" is because there is no entry fee. All Larry asks for is a $10 donation (or more) which in turn goes to the Wounded Warrior Fund. This $10 (or more!) donation will make you eligible for a nice schwag bag and prizes, which could include t-shirts, hats, cds, dvds and more from the sponsors. Usually we go out afterwards for pizza and sodas. We usually spend a few hours just laughing, telling stories and just loving life. Expect to walk, take bathroom breaks in public on the sand, laugh at the ridiculousness of what you are doing. Run with no pressures, no time restraints. Enjoy the run and being out there and being able to do it!
HISTORY
It's not quite as prestigious as the Boston Marathon yet, but it's getting there.
The race was the brainchild of some some crazy nut named Larry Watson. He is a big advocate of "Do Something". Whatever. Whenever. Just Do Something! I am not sure of the details of how he came up with the idea, but it probably involved other adventure athletes and sitting around coming up with ridiculous ideas.
The premise behind the original Sandy Shoe in November of 2008 was to do an 42 mile "ultra" in Virginia Beach. That didn't happen. This run was held the Saturday after Thanksgiving (and will be the same time every year after). The runners, of which I believe numbered above 1 but less than 3, made it one loop before calling it a day. From what I understand, the winds and weather were so ridiculous they just decided that was it. Who knew this would be a harbinger of things to come....
2009
Fast forward to the 2nd Annual Sandy Shoe Run in 2009. This time the bar was set. Two loops at least. Or one loop plus one additional foot. Anything more than what the first finishers had done. One of the two original finishers was back for more in 2009. This time, he was joined by two others, Brenda and Myself. Actually, Brian (the original finisher in 2008) joined us, as he was late for the start and had to catch up to us on the sand.
Despite cold and windy conditions, we managed to easily do two loops, plus a run from 31st Street to Rudee Inlet and back, for a total of close to 28 or 29 on the day.
At the after party this year, the idea was born..Why limit this to just one time a year? The run is so different than what most people ever do. It takes you out of your "box" and away from your comfort zone. We all had so much fun doing it, we wanted to do it more often! We came up with the series and the names. Personally, I thought we should change the name of the "Sandy Shoe" to the "Gravy Shoe" to fit with the theme of when the race is held, but whatever, majority rules. We pretty much decided that day that this is going to be our runs and now we just need to get more people involved and out there!
CONCLUSION
We want this run to be big. Or at least bigger than it is. Hell, 5 people would be huge.
I can't stress enough how much fun it is. You can run one lap (half marathon), two laps (marathon plus), three laps (ultra) or you can run half a lap and call it a day. Just get out here and do something with us! We emphasis the FUN over the run!
