Barefoot Ascent of Pikes Peak to Raise Funds

Michael Sandrock, a journalist and volunteer with the One World Running shoe project, will be racing Saturday's Pikes Peak Ascent barefoot, as a fundraiser for the project, which collects and distributes new and used shoes in developing nations and in the U.S.

Sandrock is collecting pledges for each mile of the ascent. The run starts in Manitou Springs, Colo., and finishes at over 14,000 feet, with over 7,000 feet in elevation gain. Money is being raised for a cargo container of shoes and medical supplies going to Haiti, to people suffering from last year's devastating hurricanes.

Sandrock, a 2:24:30 marathoner, will be running the ascent barefoot, using the Vibram Five Fingers for sole protection. Runners can drop off their shoes, of any kind, at the pre-race expo. Sandrock, author of Running with the Legends, will be speaking about the history of women's marathoning at the expo Friday night.

BIO
Michael Sandrock is an award-winning sports journalist who has been writing about running and track and field for 25 years. He covers running for the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, is the author of "Running with the Legends" and "Running Tough" and contributes to various national publications. Sandrock ran track and cross country for the University of Colorado, with personal best times of 2:24:30 (marathon) and 30:23 for 10K. In 1986, after racing a marathon in Cameroon, he founded One World Running (first called Shoes for Africa), a non-profit that distributes shoes and puts on races in developing nations.