The inaugural season of the RUNColumbus Race Series kicks off this week. Today we introduce you to Phil Birnie (pictured on a trail in upper Michigan), the creator behind Central Ohio’s only competitive, point-based race series. On Tuesday, we introduced you to Polly Shoemaker (aka The Organizer).
Hi, I’m Phil. My wife Julie and I have three active children and a Boston Terrier named Mirabelle.
I started running at Worthingway Middle School because my parents thought it would be a good idea for me. To be honest, I was not a great runner – or at least, not very competitive. Like any good sibling rivalry, it wasn’t until my sister started running that I found a new gear. She was a great and competitive runner all the way through college. As I watched her, I started getting more interested. Now we frequently run road and trail races together.
I am part owner of Escape Hatch, an award-winning agency crafting custom websites. I focus on back-end development extending open-source web applications from simple tools to complex eCommerce integrations.
When Polly approached me about partnering with her to build the (live) Leaderboard that would be the centerpiece of the RUNColumbus Race Series, the concept brought together three things I love—running, creative ideas, and of course, back-end web development.
Like all amateur runners, we are juggling our training, family, and jobs while pursuing our vision to bring a competitive race series to Central Ohio.
Polly and I are passionate about bringing a competitive, point-based race series that welcomes and celebrates all runners to Central Ohio. There is still time to join the RUNColumbus team. We’d love to have you. Follow the link in our profile to register.