National Geographic Kids magazine set the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest chain of shoes today in Washington, D.C. Readers donated 10,512 shoes, which were laid heel-to-toe in the National Geographic Society courtyard under the watchful eyes of a representative of Guinness World Records. The chain is about two miles (3.2 kilometers) long!

Actress Cameron Diaz served as guest editor for NG Kids’ October 2007 Green Issue and donated her sneakers to kick off the campaign. Boxes of shoes poured in, sent by National Geographic Kids readers, families, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, schools, and members of the U.S. women's national soccer team also donated their old sneakers to the project.

Setting the record is just the beginning. In an effort to spread the word about recycling and to help reduce the amount of junk in landfills, all of the sneakers are being sent to Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program. This program recycles sneakers into material that will help build surfaces for basketball courts, soccer fields, and playgrounds.

Notable Donations
    Cameron Diaz (actress)
    Shannon Boxx (U.S. Women's Soccer Team)
    Angela Hucles (U.S. Women's Soccer Team)
    Carli Lloyd (U.S. Women's Soccer Team)
    Lindsay Tarpley (U.S. Women's Soccer Team)
    Cat Whitehill (U.S. Women's Soccer Team)

Text by NGS Staff