JAMESTOWN, NY — A Jamestown man is pushing his body to the limit, all to make sure kids have shoes on their feet.
Bradley Barmore, a personal trainer for E2M Fitness and founder of BeMore Fitness, is attempting to ride 1,200 miles in 7 days or less. The effort is part of his Brix 4 Kix initiative, which raises funds, awareness, and shoe donations for the 65% of American kids with inadequate footwear.
The idea grew from a moment Barmore experienced in 2020, when he was a teacher at Sherman Central School. A student came into his classroom, his shoes torn and tattered.
"I went out of the Dollar General that morning, picked him up a pair of $20 shoes, brought them back," Barmore said. "He was excited, smile, ear to ear, and that was my kind of call that I needed to do this."
WATCH: Jamestown man will attempt 1,200-mile bike ride to help put shoes on kids' feet
Barmore began collecting shoes and raising funds in 2021 with a local mud run that brought in more than $2,500 and over 2,000 pairs of shoes in a single day.
Brix 4 Kix officially launched in July 2025, and the effort has since raised between $3,000- $4,000, with thousands of pairs of shoes collected.
Each day of the ride, Barmore will depart from Jamestown and travel in a different direction, logging between 150 and 200 miles per day. His first day will take him toward Clarion, Pennsylvania. Other legs of the ride will take him toward Buffalo, east, toward Ohio, and directly south.
He has 6 days planned, with a 7th day available if needed to complete the full 1,200 miles.
For those who want to support Brix 4 Kix, Barmore said donations, sponsorships, and pre-orders for a book he is writing about the 10 months of training and the 7-day ride are available at Bradinspires.com.
For those unable to donate money, Barmore said he is also accepting fuel supplies such as Gatorade, power bars, and rice.
"Find a way to put shoes on the 65% of American kids with poor shoes," Barmore said. "You imagine, a lady goes and buys a red pair of heels. They feel pretty good on themselves. You go buy a pair of Jordans, you feel pretty great about yourself. So just be very appreciative of the shoes that you have on your feet and never take that for granted."
Barmore said he hopes the ride sends two messages: that an average person can accomplish extraordinary things through hard work and persistence, and that people never take for granted the shoes on their feet.
Barmore can be followed on Facebook and Instagram under the public profile name Bradley Dean.
