It didn’t take a mile to discover that walking in heels can be painful. Just putting them on was enough.
“It hurts so bad,” said Brandt Sandstrom, 16, a Greensburg Salem sophomore. He was among members of the school’s football team participating Saturday in the Blackburn Center’s 15th annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event.
The Greensburg-based organization advocates on behalf of domestic violence victims and operates a 24-hour shelter for women and children.
It was the third time that Sandstrom had done the walk, a fundraiser for Blackburn meant to raise awareness about gender-based violence in the community.
But prior experience didn’t really help him much. “It always hurts,” he said.
Noah Ponko of Mt. Pleasant was also among the men who put on a pair of red stilettos for the mile-long stroll from St. Clair Park down North Maple Avenue and back. His feet were hurting after the walk.
“It was tough, but it was for a great cause,” said Ponko, who came with a group from his church, Good Shepherd Lutheran. “I would definitely do it again.”
Blackburn Center Executive Director Renee Reitz didn’t have a final count for this year’s number of participants, but said it was close to 800. They were hoping to top that, helped by the day’s good weather.
“More people are interested in getting involved with the event,” she said. “The community shows up and people want to bring awareness to gender-based violence.”
Topping the list of teams with the most members were those from Ketterer Charter School, with 115, and the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, with 104.
Ketterer, a charter school in Latrobe, has been coming for the last few years, said Rob Wright, a counselor there. He was walking in red- bottomed Nikes.
“That’s as crazy as my collection gets,” he said. As for heels, “I would not be able to pull that off myself. I support and esteem anybody who could.”
Troy Downey of Saltsburg was with a team from Hitachi Energy in Mt. Pleasant. He traded in the steel toes he wears building circuit breakers for the red stilettos with three inch heels.
“I think I can do it,” he said. “My little toe is going to be sore. If women can do it for eight hours, I can do it.”
A member of the Hitachi team, Mike Smith of Perryopolis, won the contest for “most festive shoes.” His disco-themed outfit included a poofy wig and disco boots with fake goldfish in the heels. He gave the prize to 5-year-old Kennedy Manley, of Greensburg, who also participated.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an international movement started in 2001. Reitz said Blackburn decided to try it out and see if the community would show up. It has grown each year and is now one of Blackburn’s largest fundraisers.
They provide heels to men who don’t bring their own, but wearing heels isn’t required — less than half do.
“You don’t have to wear the red high heels,” Reitz said. “Just being here is enough.”
Bethany Thomas of Perryopolis helped her boyfriend, Chad Commings of Greensburg keep his balance as he walked in heels on the sidewalk along North Maple.
“It’s very painful on the toes,” Commings said. “I thought my calves would burn first.”
After just learning about the walk the day before, Thomas said they will try to do it every year now.
“Next year we’ll be more festive and bring our own heels,” Commings said.
Some were participating in the walk in memory of family, friends and other loved ones lost to domestic and gender-based violence. Josh and Katey Shipley of Greensburg were joined by Kai and Brandi Fox, from Dreshler in northwest Ohio, who drove five hours to take part in the walk for the first time.
They were walking in honor of childhood friend Farrah Croninger, 30, of Dreshler, who was shot and killed by a man at her place of work two years ago to the day April 2024. Her killer was sentenced to life in prison without parole about a year ago.
They wore shirts featuring her photo.
“This is a fantastic event for a great cause,” Katey Shipley said. “I’ll be coming every year.”