COLORADO SPRINGS — The Jack Quinn’s Running Club is celebrating 15 years.
"15 years, 780 runs, 2418 miles and if you're asking how many numbers in 15 years… 40,500 people running at least one time with Jack Quinn's Running Club,” said club secretary, Michael Yowell.
Jack Quinn’s is the sponsor. The run is organized by volunteers. The Club started 15 years ago with just over 50 people, but it quickly grew to hundreds of people. Yowell told News 5 they've even had couples who met through the running club and eventually got married.
The party happened on Tuesday because Tuesday is when runners show up for the fitness meets social gathering at Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub in downtown Colorado Springs.
The club had to scale back during the pandemic when the pub was only doing take-out orders. Organizers got creative offering virtual sign-up. Some would meet outside Jack Quinn’s, run the course, the get an order to take home.
The in-person runs quietly returned as some COVID-19 rules eased a few months back. The anniversary celebration takes the event back to a larger scale, featuring in-person food and drink and a band.
"It's super exciting, it does almost feel like a turning point tonight,” said Jack Quinn’s Event Manager, Meredith Klube. Runners were welcome to stick around for deals on food and drink, also to enjoy music with a live band.
