All About the Stars Hollow Running Club

Founders: Jonathan and Anna

Loves to Run: Virtual Races with Gilmore Girls Fans

How did you start the Stars Hollow Running Club?

Anna: Jonathan and I met through another running club, and decided to start our own. We thought it would be amazing to pull together the great pop-culture fandom of Gilmore Girls and running. Having something you love that can drive you to a healthier lifestyle is very special. We talked about our club over last spring, and actually launched it at the end of the summer.

Jonathan: Anna is a huge fan of Gilmore Girls, and we started talking about the new upcoming episodes on Netflix November 25th. We thought, “What if Gilmore Girls had a running club on the show?” Then, we started making an actual virtual running club.

What was your first event with the Stars Hollow Running Club?

Jonathan: Our first race was the Founders Day 5k, which sold out a week before the registration period ended. We sent out all of the medals with race-bibs, all over the country and internationally.

Anna: The Founders Day 5k! This was our way to start out. I designed the medal, race bib and made a Founders Day recipe to send out for all the runners. This event sold out before the end of registration. On Facebook, we have members running from all over the country and internationally.

What is your favorite part about Gilmore Girls?

Anna: I started watching Gilmore Girls after my oldest son was born in December 2001. Every Tuesday, a girlfriend of mine would come over for a Gilmore Girls Party. We celebrated everything that happened with the show.

I actually felt relatable to Lorelai as a parent and Sookie's personality.

My youngest son is actually named Logan like the character in Gilmore Girls, although my husband believes this is an X-Men reference. My teenage boy will always watch the re-runs with me, while my oldest grew up with it and loves Gilmore Girls.

I love the small town and feeling of Stars Hollow. The town comes together to solve problems, like a true community.

Jonathan: I like the interactions between Kirk and Luke. Recently, my wife and I are obsessed with Gilmore Girls. We are watching all of the episodes over again, before the new episodes air on Netflix November 25th.

What is your biggest goal for the Stars Hollow Running Club?

Jonathan: I hope everyone has fun running our races. We will continue being a philanthropic running club, making donations to charity with the proceeds from every race. I really enjoy the community of the Stars Hollow Running Club.

Anna: The Stars Hollow Running Club, is all about coming together to support each other. Run, walk, or crawl. It is important for all of us to get out there with our feet hitting the pavement.

We love to see the club grow every day. The more people we have the more money to give to charity. I love seeing people on all levels of fitness in the group. Jonathan and I, love interacting with members through Facebook and Instagram. We hope to become bigger, better, and more fun!

What is your next virtual race for the Stars Hollow Running Club?

Jonathan: The Amazing Doggy Swami 10k. November is Military Family Appreciation Month. This event was opened the first week of October and will be closing Veterans Day, November 11.

Anna: My Husband has been in the Army National Guard for over twenty years. Jonathan and my husband served in Iraq, it is a part of their history. We wanted to focus on military families, and found the organization Paws and Stripes. Paws and Stripes, trains dogs to help wounded veterans. We are huge dog lovers, my dog is always my running buddy.