How Project Outrun Gives Kids in Cancer Treatment Something They Control

Andy Shepperd designed one pair of custom Nike shoes for a girl named Kylie Rose Jacobs before her surgery in Cincinnati. That pair turned into Project Outrun, which now works with pediatric cancer families in over 400 hospital systems. Andy joins Coach Brian to explain how the shoes work and why a kid picks a goal to earn them.

Andy Shepperd designs custom sneakers for kids in cancer treatment. He built one pair for one girl nine years ago, and Project Outrun now runs in all 50 states. This episode covers how the idea started, what a kid receives, and how Andy grew it while raising three kids.

How Project Outrun Started

Andy runs, and he collects sneakers. Nine years ago he ran a 5K in his community for a girl named Kylie Rose Jacobs. Kylie was fighting pediatric cancer. Andy went to that race and asked himself what he would do if it were his own son.

His answer came out of the two things he knows best.

"Being a runner and a huge sneaker head, I would make them shoes to make them feel fast, powerful and strong."

Kylie had surgery coming in Cincinnati. Andy opened the Nike By You builder and designed her a pair in her 5K colors and logo. He put K-Rose 5K on the tongue. Then he sat in a parking lot trying to work out how to hand a gift like that to a family he barely knew.

He texted them that when Kylie outruns cancer she has to have the right shoes. Her dad Eric answered in about 15 seconds. Andy says it felt like 15 years. Eric wrote back that the family was moved and that the shoes would lift Kylie's spirits when she was feeling low.

Andy took it to his wife Steph the same night. He wanted to take their extra Christmas cash up to Akron Children's Hospital and let kids design their own shoes. She said great and asked no follow-up questions.

Getting into a pediatric hospital was slower than he expected. It took four months of vetting before Project Outrun had its first night on the floor. Andy used those four months to work out what a kid would receive. On that first night they did 17 pairs for 17 kids.

What a Kid Receives

Andy calls the package the Road to Recovery Essentials.

Every kid in the program gets a swag bag that reads Project Outrun athlete. The back carries the line Andy trademarked: "I'm not sick, but my shoes are." There is a shirt that says faster every day and socks that say Fast Family. There is a personal finish line. There is a finisher's medal.

The shoes come with one condition.

"We tell them all that their shoes are free, but they cost a goal."

The goal is the kid's to pick. Andy says it can be eating broccoli or walking the dog or getting through treatment cancer free. The medal celebrates whatever goal the kid tied to the shoes.

Andy has a branding background, and he built the language and the physical pieces at the same time on purpose.

"To create the metaphorical language, but reinforce it with the physical deliverables so that it becomes an ecosystem of mindset and movement are medicine."

Why the Shoes Do More Than Look Good

Andy's first reason is control. A kid in treatment has almost nothing to decide for himself. The shoe is one thing he gets to decide.

"So kids in this world where so many things are out of control, this is something that grounds them and they can control."

His second reason came later. Andy says the treatments carry side effects like neuropathy, foot drop and Achilles tightness. He says his leukemia kids often lose the ability to walk, so supportive footwear is a real need and not a nice extra. Project Outrun offers 45 different silhouettes and styles for a kid to customize. One boy named Chase picked every color of the Paw Patrol, with a left shoe that does not match the right.

Brian asked Andy what the shoes do beyond the fabric and rubber. Andy answered with what he hears from clinicians.

"Anybody that you talk to in modern medicine is going to tell you that movement helps fight cancer. That same doctor that deals in the world of real hard statistics is also gonna tell you that mindset is imperative."

Fast Facts and the Kid Nobody Can Reach

Andy is on site at the Northeast Ohio hospitals every month. He says Child Life and Social Work sometimes meet him at the door with a request. They have a kid they cannot get through to. Andy says it is often a boy of 10 or 12 or 14. They want that kid to know the staff is on his team.

So Andy runs a thing he calls Fast Facts. It is five questions: favorite food, animal, color, team and song.

Those five answers plus the kid's shoe design give the staff a picture of who they are treating. Andy says they walk back in and lead with the kid's favorite band instead of the chart.

"Because what you're looking for is connection. And when you don't have connection, it's harder to treat a patient and it's harder for a patient to receive treatment."

Brian named the reason it lands. A kid with a cancer diagnosis feels isolated and unlike everyone his age. Andy put the rate at about one in 275, which is less rare than most people assume.

Nine Years and 10,000 Families

After the first hospital night, Project Outrun was out of money. The hospital suggested a fundraiser. Andy threw one at his local gym with carnival games and raised about 15,000 dollars in a single afternoon, which he says felt like all the money in the world at the time. He sent a video to a Nike contact once they had done around 70 pairs, and asked to partner.

Nine years on, Andy says Project Outrun has worked with over 10,000 families across the country. What started at one hospital system now runs in over 400 systems across all 50 states. Money raised goes toward pediatric cancer research, awareness and advocacy.

He grew it as a volunteer for seven years before his board told him it had gotten too big to run on the side. Now in his second year on staff, he runs a sneaker ball in Akron, a golf outing and the Faster Every Day 5K.

Andy says the growth bought Project Outrun a seat at the table with people running trials on the worst forms of pediatric cancer, which lets the organization support kids who are in those trials.

Kylie Rose is nine years cancer free.

The Sibling Fund

Project Outrun also pays for the brothers and sisters. Andy says families fight together. He also says parents often worry more about the kid who is not in treatment than the one who is. The kid in treatment gets all the attention.

Siblings design their own shoes and get their own swag. Andy described walking into a room and asking a kid how many siblings he had. The answer was eight. He told the boy all eight would get shoes.

A family foundation out west is funding the entirety of the programming Project Outrun runs there, including the sibling fund and the finish line festivals.

Paisley's Keepsake Box

Andy told one story about how small the pieces can seem from his side.

Paisley Palmer is a leukemia survivor, five going on six. Project Outrun joined her team when she was nine months old. Her mom Jess told Andy her daughter loved shoes and loved to run. They built her two pairs because she would wear one and carry the other. Andy says there is video of her running the halls of Cincinnati Children's holding the spare.

At Thanksgiving her school asked what she was thankful for. Paisley picked Project Outrun.

One night Andy took pizza to her house. Paisley asked him to see her room and showed him the keepsake box next to her bed. Inside were about five Project Outrun items: her medal, her finish line, and a purple rock another Project Outrun kid handed her at CureFest in Washington DC.

"These are gifts of love, of support, of hope."

Why Brian Had Andy On

Brian recorded this one for a podcast-a-thon, a global effort where podcasters feature nonprofits so more people learn what they do.

Andy was an easy pick. Their kids go to school together at Miller South, and Andy is one of the friends Brian runs with. Brian calls that group his four amigos. He ran a Project Outrun event in the summer with his son Levi and donated. Andy also ran a fundraiser for Miller South with his son's band Shep and Bucks. It bought the school a new mic system in time for opening night of Matilda.

Brian and Andy are both middle school parents with full schedules. Brian has four kids and Andy has three. The runs are how they talk.

"It's an easy way to collaborate to share, to inspire, to vent, to be able to clear the air."

That is the piece worth taking from this episode if you are a man in your 40s with more on your plate than time. The training does not have to be a solo hour with headphones on. Put it next to a friend and it does two jobs at once.

How to Support Project Outrun

Project Outrun is at projectoutrun.org, and on Instagram at @ProjectOutRun. The site lists events and ways to get involved.

The Faster Every Day 5K is June 20 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Andy calls it a festival more than a race, and says Outrun athletes and their kids run and enjoy the day free.

If you want to help, donate at projectoutrun.org or come to an event.

One Step for Your Own Health

If your own health has been at the bottom of the list while you build everything else, start small and start free. The Lose 3 lbs in 3 Days plan lays out what to eat and how to move for three days, with no calorie restriction and no extra workouts. Get it at thecalltorise.com/lose3lbsin3days.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Project Outrun?

Project Outrun is a pediatric cancer support organization founded by Andy Shepperd. It gives kids in treatment custom designed shoes along with a shirt, socks, a personal finish line and a finisher's medal.

How did Project Outrun start?

Andy Shepperd designed a custom pair of Nike shoes for a girl named Kylie Rose Jacobs before her surgery in Cincinnati. Her family's response led him to take his extra Christmas cash to Akron Children's Hospital, where Project Outrun did 17 pairs for 17 kids on its first night.

What does the phrase "I'm not sick, but my shoes are" mean?

It is the line Andy Shepperd trademarked for Project Outrun, and it prints on the back of every athlete swag bag. It puts the attention on the shoes instead of the diagnosis and gives a kid something else to talk about.

How many families has Project Outrun worked with?

Andy Shepperd says Project Outrun has worked with over 10,000 families across the country in nine years. What started at one hospital system now runs in over 400 systems across all 50 states.

Why do custom shoes matter to a kid in cancer treatment?

Andy Shepperd says the shoe is one thing a kid can control when almost nothing else is in his hands. He also points to physical need, since side effects like neuropathy and foot drop mean many kids need supportive footwear.

What are Fast Facts?

Fast Facts is the five question opener Andy Shepperd uses with every kid he meets. He asks for a favorite food, animal, color, team and song, and those answers give hospital staff a fast way to connect with that child.

What is the Project Outrun sibling fund?

The sibling fund covers brothers and sisters of a child in treatment so they design their own shoes and receive their own swag. Andy Shepperd says families fight together and that parents often worry most about the kid who is not the patient.

How can I support Project Outrun?

Follow Project Outrun on Instagram or visit projectoutrun.org to donate or sign up for an event. The Faster Every Day 5K is held June 20 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and Andy Shepperd describes it as a family festival rather than a race.

Listen to the full episode of Driven For Health.

Read the companion article on brianparana.com.