Woodbridge’s Quinton Jacobs’ local running program, Escape, has grown into a passionate global initiative that gives back for the greater good.

In the world of athletics, it would be difficult to find more passionate and dedicated participants than runners. Through rain, wind, sleet or snow, over hilly or mountainous terrain, in searing heat or freezing temperatures, runners revel in the personal challenge whether it’s around the block, or, in the case of Quinton Jacobs, experiencing the adventure of running from Point A in one country to Point B in another.

“Funny enough, I hated running when I was growing up,” says Jacobs, co- founder of Escape, in a recent interview with City Life. “I didn’t take to it until I became a dad about 20 years ago. I was always into fitness, but I discovered running was so flexible. I could get it in at 4 a.m., or I could fit running around my kids’ schedules, being a dad and a husband. I could always squeeze running in.”

Like so many other runners, Jacobs started small until the bug took hold. “Running is a funny thing and a slippery slope,” he observes. “You start with a run around the block and then it’s a 5K. The next thing you know, it’s ‘Can I do a 10K?’ And the 10K leads to a half-marathon and then a full marathon to try, and it just sort of snowballs like that.”

Jacobs’ Escape running initiative has become a non-stop ultra-relay. Set in destinations around the globe and leading into some of the world’s most epic running races, Escape itself is not a race. Instead, it has become a global journey of connection and adventure built around community and giving back. There was no master plan back in 2019 — instead, Escape grew organically because of the shared passions and crazy ideas Jacobs and others had, and was fuelled by its strong and active presence on social media.

“You start with a run around the block and then it’s a 5K. The next thing you know, it’s ‘Can I do a 10K?’ And the 10K leads to a half-marathon and then a full marathon to try, and it just sort of snowballs like that.”

“I had met a lot of running friends and our aspirations to just try something crazy sort of took over, which was, ‘Can we get a bunch of friends and run from Toronto to New York City non-stop?’” says Jacobs, recalling Escape’s modest beginnings. “We had no real intention of turning it into anything. The key for us and what made it special was that we had friends in New York City, so we wanted to use this run to bridge these communities and celebrate our diversity. So when we left Toronto, they got to see all our Toronto friends and family send us off, and in New York, they then had their entire network of friends waiting for us. That sparked something in us that, instead of just racing, ‘Is there something bigger we can do with this Escape idea and use it to celebrate communities and how running brings people together globally?’”

In the six years since its inception, Escape has hosted inspirational runners from all over the world who have also run non-stop relays from Toronto to Chicago and Toronto to Boston. In 2024, Escape was licensed by lululemon to create and execute an Escape event to coincide with Team Canada and the Summer Olympics with “Escape to Paris.”

This April 2025 is Escape’s biggest endeavour to date: “Escape to Cape Town, South Africa,” which has special meaning for Jacobs as his mother was born in that country. The Escape team will be running in relay for 950 kilometres non- stop from Gqeberha to Cape Town. Then just two days later, the team will run the treacherous 56-kilometre Two Oceans Ultra Marathon. At the end, Escape will be hosting a kids’ 5-kilometre run in the township of Mitchells Plain to raise awareness and funds to build a running track together with the Run4Schools organization.

“Can we leave something behind? Can we raise enough money to build a running track that will inspire many after we’re gone?”

“The truth is this is the largest philanthropic undertaking that we’ve strived for and a very big moment for us,” says Jacobs, looking ahead to the challenge of “Escape to Cape Town.” “The idea is, ‘Can we as runners from all around the world, instead of just going to this country and taking a medal, can we leave something behind? Can we raise enough money to build a running track that will inspire many after we’re gone?’”

Every runner has his or her own reason for embarking on their personal journey. Physical fitness is obviously an impetus, but over time something deeper may take over that nourishes that runner’s personal quest — something that they may not have anticipated. Running may help alleviate stress or anxiety. Running may free a runner’s mind from day-to- day routine and give that person precious time to think. And running outdoors may give the runner a chance to encounter, connect with and appreciate nature.

For Quinton Jacobs, running gave him all of these benefits and then more, since the life-changing difference it made in his own life has led to it meaning so much to so many by creating a global community of care and compassion where every stride forward means fewer will be left behind.

INTERVIEW BY MARC CASTALDO

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