Day 131/366 – Sneakers from the heart. Customized Nike Lunar Racers for Alex Cameron.

Sneakers for looks. Sneakers for performance. Sneakers for love. This post is written from the heart. I’m honored to share this story with you on my blog.

A special member of the Nike family, Alex Cameron, lost his younger brother in a helicopter crash on February 28th, 2012. Lt. j.g. Thomas Cameron was training to become a helicopter pilot in the Coast Guard. His helicopter went down in Mobile Bay during a training mission; three other noble men were onboard as well: Lt. Cmdr. Dale Taylor, Chief Petty Officer Fernando Jorge and Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Knight. Brandon Workman, a Footwear Developer in Running at Nike (pictured in the first image below), joined forces with Developer Risha Kelley to create a customized Nike Lunar Racer for Alex. Alex loves to run and shared many memorable runs alongside his younger brother. His high school friends, Erik Peterson and Matt Dodd, provided insight into the project as well. Below are the spec’s of the shoe:

  • Thomas Cameron’s initials: “TC” is stitched on the left tongue label.
  • Thomas’ soccer number: “12” is stitched on the right tongue label. Thomas played soccer for the Coast Guard Academy and was a team captain.
  • Helicopter mission: “CG6535” is featured on the dubre of the laces.
  • The motto of the United States Coast Guard: “Semper Paratus” is stitched on the backstay; translates to “Always Ready.”
  • Helicopter model: the MH-65C Dolphin is pictured on the sockliners; full image comes together after placing the sockliners side by side.
  • Names of the four noble men: printed on the heel of the right sockliner.
  • Laces: 100 pairs were made for friends and family. They include the helicopter mission (CG6535) on the dubre and a nod to Thomas’ competitive spirit is mentioned on the lace aglets.

Alex will be flying out to run the “Red Brick Road – Thomas Cameron Memorial 5k” on Saturday, June 2, 2012 in East Milton, Florida. His brother’s spirit will be with him as he laces up one of two pairs of his Nike Lunar Racers to run the race. Below is a picture of Alex when he was first gifted these special kicks.

Sneakers are so much more than just shoes. Thank you Nike for being there to support.

My heartfelt condolences go out to Alex and his family.

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