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Volume 1, Issue 6 ??? Thursday, August 24th, 2006 ??? The Spokane SiDEKiCK
A Toast to Your Health
By Lucas Dressel
If you find yourself walking downtown on a Thursday evening, make
sure to look both ways before stepping off the
curb. Sure, you should be
wary of cars, but as of this summer, watch out for the Flying Irish, too.
They???re pounding
the pavement on a mission for exercise, fun and ??? beer.
It???s no surprise that in the city that gave birth to Bloomsday, quite a few
running clubs exist. But in April, a new one
burst onto the scene, based out
of O???Doherty???s. Yep, the Irish bar downtown.
???We push people to exercise and also be social,??? explains Kendra Rechtschaff
en, a veteran O???Doherty???s bartender/server
who helps organize the
club. ???It???s a fun atmosphere ??? we???re all friends
here.???
For the 25 to 40 runners who turn out each
week, the Flying Irish Running Club is a chance
to meet new people, run a few
miles and then
toss back a pint or two amidst good company.
The members run the gamut from young to old,
students to
professionals and weekend warriors
to seasoned athletes supplementing their normal
training.
Peter B. founded the Flying Irish after
learning about a similar club at an Irish bar in
Pensacola
, Fla.
An active player in
Spokane???s
running scene, Peter was impressed that the
Pensacola
club regularly draws 200 participants each week.
He
wanted to start something similar in Spokane???a fun, welcoming
club that wouldn???t intimidate novices, but was more
than a superficial
excuse to hang out and drink.
???It???s a good way to get people who are kind of marginally involved,
more involved,??? says Peter while noting that
Spokane???s obesity rate is
about 26 percent. ???It???s something [for people] to do downtown and get
them to stay downtown.???
So with the help of bar owner Tim O???Doherty, he launched the club in
late spring.
So why the name ???Flying Irish????
Peter says that as he and O???Doherty were discussing the idea of the
club, the name just
popped into Peter???s head.
???I saw an image of an Irish Setter in a biplane, and that???s what happened,???
explains Peter.
The club works like this: Anyone is invited to show up around 5:45
p.m. on Thursdays at O???Doherty???s (525 W Spokane
Falls Blvd.). Just sign
in and sign a waiver, and the whole deal is free.
At 6:00 p.m., participants briefly discuss their
route (which varies each
week) and take off for a three-mile run. Some quickly disappear into the
distance, others jog
leisurely and some embark on a walk/run combo.
While most club members can run the three miles fairly easily, the
group tries not to take itself too seriously.
Right before
last Thursday???s run, for example,
there was a debate over whether to make a midrun
beer stop at The Elk in Browne???s
Addition.
And the club???s signature moment is its ???shirting???
ceremony. Once runners complete six runs,
they???re eligible for a running
shirt (the fancy kind
that keep you dry). The catch? Stand on top of the
bar and tell an Irish joke to everyone.
Once that night???s
eligible runners have been
shirted, some participants head home, but most
enjoy hanging out with the group for a while.
???After a hard run, a pint of Guinness helps
replace all the nutrients I???ve lost,??? says a smiling
Randy Chen. Chen recently
moved to Spokane
from San Francisco and has enjoyed dropping in every Th ursday to meet
new people and stay active.
He???s already earned the coveted shirt, which
from now on entitles its wearer to 50 percent off beer pitchers and hamburgers
every Thursday evening.
Chen definitely plans to continue.
???Once you get the shirt, that???s when the benefits start to kick in.???
With more than 500 people having participated at least once so far,
Peter is excited about the club???s future. He plans to keep
it going into the
fall and maybe even winter.
???What I???d like to see is it become an institution in Spokane,??? he says,
???So that
when people think of what to do, they think of the running club
at O???Doherty???s.???
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