Give Running is not solely a shoe charity.

Donating shoes to disadvantaged youth is a means rather than an end to our mission.

Our Curriculum

• Effort and Attitude: In addition to teaching youth about well-balanced training, nutrition, and injury prevention, we also work on goal-setting, teamwork, leadership, and achieving success through personal best effort.
• The Name Says It All: Indeed, “Pyramid Running” underscores that Coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success and other teachings are at the heart of our curriculum.
• John Wooden was named the “Greatest Coach of the Twentieth Century” by ESPN and Sports Illustrated and was also renowned as a role model and humanitarian; in 2003 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor.
• The Pyramid of Success, developed by Wooden over 30 years of teaching, is composed of 15 blocks each representing a character trait essential to success, defined as “peace of mind that is a direct result of giving your personal best effort.”

Our Credentials

• Knowledge and Experience: Founder & President Greg Woodburn is the assistant distance coach for the USC Men’s Track & Field Team, where he was previously a four-year distance runner and team captain. He has coached youth from California to West Africa to Southeast Asia in formats ranging from running-specific workshops to general fitness and health programs.
• Don’t Just Take Our Word For It: Ghanaian national coach Eric Ofori has praised our camps, noting that student-athletes “are now trying to apply what they have learned… because you need to have team-building and respect… and at the end of the day, we see how successful they become when it all works together.”