The Hobby Jogger Podcast · Hosted by: WeeViews & Branch Sauce

E46 | Project Outrun: Custom Kicks for Cancer Warriors

·49 min·3 clips

Project OutRun gives the field four minutes and one second because less than four percent of cancer research goes to pediatric cancer.

1. The Hobby Jogger Podcast episode centers on Project OutRun’s work for pediatric cancer families through custom shoes, swag, and support. 2. Host Rob Myers and co-host Casey speak with Courtney Salyer, Project OutRun’s Director of Operations in Fairlawn, Ohio, who also handles race-directing work. 3. The episode asks how a local running story became a nonprofit, a race, and a community event. 4. Courtney says founder Andy Shepard started Project OutRun after running Kylie Jacobs’ local girl’s 5K and learning about her cancer journey. 5. She says Kylie battled cancer three times, and Andy later made custom shoes using her 5K logo, her colors, and the Nike by You builder. 6. Courtney says Andy texted Kylie’s parents about the shoes and wrote, “when she outruns cancer, she has to have the right shoes.” 7. She says Andy and his wife gave their Christmas cash to Akron Children’s Hospital and helped about 15 or 17 kids the first time. 8. Courtney says that first fundraiser led to work with kids and families across all 50 states, hundreds of hospital systems, and thousands of pairs of shoes. 9. She says Project OutRun’s Northeast Ohio partner hospitals are Akron Children’s, Cleveland Clinic, and UH. 10. She says the organization also offers sibling support because children in the family can feel overlooked when one child is in treatment. 11. Courtney says the sibling fund is named after one of their OutRun athletes and uses the tagline, “families fight together.” 12. She says the program gives each athlete a swag bag with a shirt, medal, socks, and a paper finish line for goal-setting. 13. Courtney says the shirts read “I’m not sick, but my shoes are” and “faster every day.” 14. She says kids have used the paper finish line for goals like “I finished second grade.” 15. Courtney says listeners can help by donating on projectoutrun.org, registering or sponsoring the June 21 Faster Everyday Festival 5K and fun run in Cuyahoga Falls, or starting a fundraiser through “outrunning for the project.” 16. She says people have supported the group by climbing Everest, doing triathlons, and entering weightlifting competitions. 17. Courtney describes her own path from 10 years of teaching to Project OutRun after COVID, the virtual Akron Marathon, and meeting Andy through the PLX running group. 18. She says she worked at Second Soul, ran a bake sale called the “pop-up bake shop sock hop,” and later came on to help with applications, emails, and shoe orders. 19. People who like running culture, local nonprofit stories, and pediatric-cancer community work would likely connect with this episode. 20. People looking for a short, purely training-focused running chat may skip it.

As heard by us

A grounded conversation about running community and pediatric cancer support.

Project OutRun gives the episode its center, as Courtney Salyer talks through work meant to strengthen and empower kids and families facing pediatric cancer.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a warm, runner-friendly conversation with Courtney Salyer of Project OutRun in Fairlawn, Ohio.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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