MCALLEN, Texas — Actor Ashton Kutcher helped a Texas cross-country team stay on their toes, as the "That '70s Show" star donated running shoes to the team.
Kutcher's intervention last month came after a member of the IDEA Tres Lagos boys team was injured while running in shoes that were not made for cross-country, KGBT reported.
Monica Gutierrez's 13-year-old son, Oswaldo "Ozzy" Briones, also runs for the team. Gutierrez told CNN she was concerned about the teammate, but as a single mother, she could not afford to buy another pair of running shoes.
"If I could have bought them myself, I would have done it," Gutierrez told CNN.
Then, Gutierrez saw an Instagram post from Kutcher -- whom she follows -- which listed his phone number and invited followers to "text me," KGBT reported.
Figuring she had nothing to lose, Gutierrez texted the actor.
"I've been following him for a long (time), and I know about all the work that he does for the kids and everything, and I thought 'Come on, let's give it a shot,'" Gutierrez told CNN.
Gutierrez received an auto-reply message from Kutcher with a link to community.com, a site used by some celebrities to communicate with fans.
A few days later, Gutierrez received another message, asking her to email one of Kutcher's representatives, CNN reported. Gutierrez found out the boys' shoe sizes and asked the Tres Lagos coach what brand was needed.
"I didn't think much of it, I didn't know if it was true or if I was being played or if it was just something that it wasn't going to happen," Gutierrez told CNN.
The Friday before the Texas state championship meet in Round Rock, there were six pairs of Asics shoes at Gutierrez's front door, CNN reported.
The Tres Lagos team finished third in their division, KGBT reported, while eighth-grader Diego Alaniz, won his event.