By Jeffrey Smith, The News On 6
TULSA, OK -- Warming up for Tulsa's Route 66
Marathon, Rick Roeber looks like any other runner.
But then, he does something that sets him apart from the
pack. He takes off his shoes.
"I ran Boston before, and there was only two of us
running barefoot out of 20,000. I ran New York City last
year, 40,000 people. And, I was the only barefoot
runner," said runner Rick Roeber.
Roeber ran all 26.2 miles of the Route 66 Marathon
barefoot. All the other runners were sporting
Nikes, Adidas or New Balance, but not Rick. It's
the 40th Marathon in which his feet have gone all
natural.
Roeber started doing it a few years ago to improve
his form. But, when he noticed the attention it
garnered, he decided to put his exposed toes to good
use. So, he runs to raise money for
charity.
All the donations this year go to Soles for Souls. It is a mission
that provides low-cost wheelchairs to third world
countries.
"For $50 you can literally change somebody's life.
These are people that are dragging themselves through
alleyways and stuff," said runner Rick Roeber.
Most of the donations are small. And, they come
from fellow runners who can't believe their eyes.
"I've never seen anything like that in my life. I've
run 26.2 miles, this'll be my 11th time, and I've never
seen anybody do something like that," said runner Troy
Mathers.
But, he says any attention is good attention for his
cause.
You can learn more about Rick's mission at his website or by emailing
him.