Ever since Jans first opened its doors, over 32 years ago, the company has been committed to giving back to the Park City community. After all, we love our mountain town and want to see it thrive and prosper just as our stores have done. And this spring was no exception.
On a rainy Saturday morning, with temperatures hovering at a balmy 40 degrees, six Jans’ team members laced up their running shoes and braved mud season weather to participate in a 38 mile relay race that raised $157,000 for Park City schools.
What is Running with Ed?
Cleverly named, “Running with Ed,” this annual event is held by the Park City Education Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides supplemental funding to Park City’s elementary schools, middle school, junior high and high school. The relay race includes 10 legs with mileage varying from 1.5 miles to 6.8 miles and one killer climb up to the top of the Utah Olympic Park. While Jans is committed to outdoor recreation and a healthy lifestyle, this race was far from a walk in the park for our ladies-only team of runners.
The Jans Team
Quinn Graves, who works part-time at our flagship store, was the speedster of the group. Of course, the power of youth was at play, since Quinn is a 16 year old student at Park City High School and volunteered to run to help raise money for her school. The rest of the team insists that without Quinn, their 6 hour and 25 minute finishing time would have been a lot longer.
Terri Totzke, Jans’ Human Resources Director, took on the role of team cheerleader, thanks to her energetic spirit while Katie Shea represented the accounting department and jans.com. Laura Falter, who works at the Jans Park Avenue location, took one for the team by running the longest leg of the race, from Parley’s Park Elementary all the way to Park City Mountain Resort.
And then there was Jeanie Kutcher, a veteran of Jans for over 30 years, who works in sales at our Park Avenue store and is known for her outgoing personality and healthy dose of wit. All five of these women piled into the Jans suburban with Team Captain and Jans’ Controller, Heather Kelley, who had the dubious honor of running the grueling leg from Ecker Hill Middle School to the top of Olympic Park. “At one point the road feels like it goes straight uphill and you almost feel like you’re just shuffling in place,” recalls Heather.
Committed to Giving Back
Despite running through just about every season – from a torrential downpour to sunshine to a chilling wind – the Jans Running with Ed team not only persevered, but even managed to enjoy themselves. They were proud to be part of an event that brought the whole Park City community together while enhancing educational opportunities for our children. In fact, the team is already talking about running again next year. Let’s just hope the weather is better.
Liz Yokubison, Senior Editor
