What Is Mile in My Shoes?

Partnering with homeless shelters, addiction recovery programs, Veterans’ organizations and re-entry centers for people exiting incarceration, Mile in My Shoes views running as a tool for both personal and collective transformation. By centering people and spaces historically excluded by the running community, our teams use movement as a catalyst for social justice. By bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, our Resident Members and Run Mentors not only find common ground, but learn from and reach out to one another for support. As we transform ourselves, we transform one another, and we transform our communities.

Our Mission
We run together to transform ourselves, one another, and our community.

Our Vision
Mile in My Shoes uses the power of running to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to build connections, boost wellness, spark social change, and center people traditionally excluded from running spaces.

Our Values

Guided by the following philosophies and values, we:

  • Prioritize Inclusion & Safety: We believe everyone should be able to run, and do so safely - especially those historically excluded from running spaces.

  • Show Up: We show up, are present, and honor the potential we see in ourselves and one another. 

  • Have an open & curious mindset: Genuine interest in one another, and our own willingness to be vulnerable, lead to community connectedness and shifts in perceptions.

  • Embrace the Challenge(s): We grow by being challenged. Whether it be a difficult conversation, workout, or mood, we commit to embracing the hard stuff in order to grow. 

  • Recognize Our Collective Value: Every person brings to the circle their own unique lived experiences, and every person brings value. Therefore, everyone who joins us makes us better.

Our History

  • May, 2014: Mile in My Shoes launches its first team by Mishka Vertin and Michael Jurasits, two volunteers, in partnership with Catholic Charities Higher Ground of Minneapolis.  The first residential members – shelter guests – are given running shoes and workout gear in exchange for their commitment to show up at least two mornings a week to run. Concurrently, volunteers from the local running community are recruited. The first run includes six shelter guests, two Higher Ground staff members, and eight volunteer runners, aka Run Mentors.

  • November 2014: Mile in My Shoes (MiMS) becomes a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and creates a board of directors. 

  • March 2015: MiMS opens its second team, Team Emanuel Housing, based at a transitional apartment for men and women at risk of homelessness

  • October 4, 2015: MiMS Members participate in the Twin Cities Marathon weekend for the first time. Two MiMS Resident Members, along with their Mentor pacers, complete the marathon distance and another eight Member/Mentor pairs complete the TC ten mile.

  • 2016: MiMS launches a youth-focused team with Team Youthlink, based at a transitional housing program for youth experiencing homelessness

  • 2017: MiMS expands to several new populations, including people exiting incarceration with the launch of Team Volunteers of America-Southside and expands across the river to St. Paul with Team Sarah’s, a home for immigrant and refugee women, and Team Higher Ground St. Paul

  • June 6, 2017: MiMS hosts its very own 5K race, the Downtown Run Around, for the first time. Several hundred MiMS Resident Members, Mentors, and supporters gather at Fr. Hennepin Park to run a beautiful course over the Stone Arch Bridge, marking the very first 5K race for the season’s newest Members.

  • April 2018: MiMS launches Team VOA Roseville. Its first run brings out 15 men & women exiting incarceration, the majority of whom go on to become Alumni Members.

  • September, 2019: MiMS becomes the official charity partner of the City of Lakes Half Marathon. Dozens of Resident Members, Alumni, and Run Mentor pacers complete the race, and FundRacers raise thousands of dollars for MiMS programming.

  • March, 2020: The pandemic causes in-person teams to be halted for the entire 2020 season. During this time, MiMS launches its Alumni program, bringing together nearly 100 Alumni Members and Run Mentors via “mini teams” for the 2020 season. These teams run together virtually or in small groups, completing virtual races from 5Ks to the City of Lakes half marathon.

  • August, 2020: The “Alone Together” Downtown Run Around goes virtual, with over 600 participants from around the globe raising over $60K for Mile in My Shoes teams.

  • April, 2021: MiMS launches Team Sally, located at the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in downtown Minneapolis. Team Sally is the first MiMS team working exclusively with people in recovery.

  • August, 2021: Two new teams launch, including Team Centre, in Fargo, ND, our first team outside of the Twin Cities metro area, at a reentry program for men exiting incarceration. Team Challenge, located in Northeast Minneapolis, is based at a substance abuse treatment program for women. Its first run brings out a record number of 17 new Resident Members!

  • March, 2022: MiMS welcomes our first Alumni Member onto our staff when Team Roseville Alumni Matt D’Olimpio (‘19) becomes Program Coordinator.

  • April, 2022: Two Alumni Members step into leadership roles when Tom (‘21) and Niko (‘19) become Core Team Members at Team Sally.

  • June, 2022: Partnerships with several BiPOC-lead groups and over 200 complimentary entries help us move towards our goal to create a more inclusive racing community in the Twin Cities. The 6th Annual Downtown Run Around also had a record number of participants - over 600 - on our new course at the University of Minnesota campus.

  • Sep-Oct, 2022: MiMS’ first Alumni Distance Team completes their goal races for the season, with 12 Alumni Members (and their Run Mentors) completing the City of Lakes Half Marathon and ten Alumni going on to complete the Twin Cities Marathon.

  • April, 2023: MiMS kicks off its ninth season with a record seven teams, launching new teams in partnership with Union Gospel Mission, a shelter and recovery program for adult men in St. Paul, and Every Third Saturday serving military veterans.

  • April, 2023: MiMS moves into our new home base, The Motion Center, located at 355 Randolph Ave in St. Paul. The Motion Center brings together under one roof four movement-based Twin Cities Nonprofit organizations - MiMS, Twin Cities in Motion, Girls on the Run and Brave Live Gabe - for sharing and collaboration. MiMS’ dedicated space includes offices and warehouse space for our Member gear and incentives. The Motion Center also allows MiMS' access to event, meeting and retail space.

Since MiMS’ founding, over 1000 people experiencing homelessness and other barriers have laced up new shoes and run their very first mile. More than 600 have completed a 5K race, and dozens have completed half-marathons and full marathons. 100% of Resident Members share that they see themselves differently than when they began Mile in My Shoes, and 85% feel more connected to their community. We have had over 600 Run Mentors, 80% of whom have paced a Member in at least one race.  

Land Acknowledgment
Mile in My Shoes runs on the stolen ancestral homelands of the Oceti Sakowin and other Tribal Nations such as the Anishinaabe. We acknowledge that this land was stolen through dishonesty, genocide, displacement, and coercion, and we recognize how that legacy created the pathways we run on now. Despite this history, many Indigenous leaders and runners of various tribes thrive on this land. Learn more about the land we run on here.