Changing the World One Pair at a Time™

SOLES4SOULS TO HOST 10K RUN & 5K RUN/WALK 

ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2008

United States Track & Field 2012 Olympic Hopeful, 

Jon Rankin, to Run 10K in Inaugural Event

Team Rankin Asks Supporters to Help Them Raise Funds for Soles4Souls

Nashville, TN—September 9, 2008--- Nashville-based charity Soles4Souls™ Inc., the global organization dedicated to providing free footwear to people in need all over the world, will host the Inaugural Soles4Souls 5K/10K Walk Run on Saturday, September 13, 2008 and are pleased to announce that, Jon Rankin, the United States Track & Field 2012 Olympic hopeful, along Jessica Crate and Merhawi Keflezighi will run as Team Rankin to raise awareness and donations for Soles4Souls.

“The support of Jon and Team Rankin is very valuable to our mission and this event will help us provide new shoes for those in need around the world and most recently, those affected by Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls.  “There are less than 400 American men who have ever been clocked running a mile in under four minutes, so we are excited to have Jon Rankin join us for our first running event,” Elsey said. 

Jon Rankin, who will be in the professional field of the 5^th Avenue Mile on September 21^st, said “I’m really looking forward to running for a reason other than a competitive one.  Running in the Soles4Souls 5k/10k will be very meaningful to me because it gives me an opportunity to run for others ... Every step all participants take towards the finish line will be one more step towards positively affecting the life of another human being. This powerful notion is something that now drives me to do my best and to compete with all of my heart whenever I run. September 13th, 2008 will be a day I know I’ll never forget.” 

Donations for the team to benefit Soles4Souls can be made online  HYPERLINK "http://www.active.com/donate/teamrankin" www.active.com/donate/teamrankin.  The Team asks for a $1 per mile donation, or $6.00 per runner.  A little as $18.00 will sponsor all three Team Rankin members and will help Sole4Souls with their mission of “Changing the World One Pair at a Time.” ™

Registration fees are $35 for 10K Run and $30 for 5K Run/Walk. Fees will be discounted $10 with a donation of a “gently worn” pair of shoes.  Limit one per person. To register, please visit  HYPERLINK "http://www.giveshoes.org" www.giveshoes.org or call 615-391-5723. Online registration will close at midnight on September 11, 2008.  

Additional registration, as well as race packet pick up, will be held on Thursday, September 11 and Friday, September 12, from 3:00 p.m-6:00 p.m. at Fleet Feet Brentwood (330 Franklin Road, Suite 262 B / Brentwood, TN  37207) or at the start line beginning at 3:00 p.m. on race day. 

In addition, Jon will be at Fleet Feet Brentwood on Friday, September 12, from 3:00-6:00 p.m. to sign autographs for registered runners and for non-registered runners, for a small monetary donation of $5.00 to Soles4Souls.

About Team Rankin

Jon Rankin, 26, is from San Diego, California. He currently lives and trains at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego and competes on the world stage as a rising U.S. Track and Field Star.  Rankin is a former UCLA standout, NCAA All-American and Nike athlete. 

Rankin, along with Jessica Crate, established Shoes 4 the Soul, Inc., in October 2007 to increase awareness about the ability to donate used athletic shoes for distribution to people who need them.  The organization has offices in both San Diego and Melbourne, Florida. Joining Team Rankin is Merhawi Keflezighi, Rankin’s agent and the brother/manager of Olympic Silver medalist Meb Keflezighi.  Rankin and Jessica Crate, are the co-founders of Shoes 4 the Soul, Inc. and serves as its president and vice-president, respectively. For more information, please visit  HYPERLINK "http://www.shoes4thesoul.org" www.shoes4thesoul.org.

About Soles4Souls

Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 3.4 million pairs (or one pair every 23 seconds) to people in more than 60 countries, including Honduras, Romania, Thailand, and the Sudan. The charity has been featured on CNN Headline News, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America.  Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit  HYPERLINK "http://www.giveshoes.org" \o "http://www.giveshoes.org/" www.giveshoes.org for more information.

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For more information please contact:

Kim Dettwiller, Soles4Souls, 615-330-5656,  HYPERLINK "mailto:kimd@giveshoes.org" kimd@giveshoes.org 

Chris Carmichael, Soles4Souls, 503-319-1726,  HYPERLINK "mailto:chrisc@giveshoes.org" chrisc@giveshoes.org