Jack is the Founder of Dirty Bird Run Club, which is quickly emerging as the dirtiest club in Manhattan. Let's get right into it...

Hi Jack. You're on a recorded line. Anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law. Okay. Who are you? How are old are you? What’s your middle name?

Hi Tim, good to know. It's Edward, after my father, Edward Gilbert the first. If I were to put myself in a box, I'd say that I'm a brand marketer, runner, and faithful resident of New York City. And, I'm the ripe age of 25 years. 

Have you always been in NYC? Where do you live? 

I grew up on Long Island and I've been frequenting the city my whole life. After school, I lived at home for a bit to save up before making the move. I'm in Chelsea now... (awkward silence). Between 22nd and 9th, if anyone wants to know that? 

Everyone wants to know that. Have you been in Chelsea this whole time? 

This is my 2nd apartment. The first was a Covid deal above a bar in Tribeca. It was like living in the set of Friends. Then my roommates wifed up and I bounced to Chelsea, and now I'm about to move again. I'm like an NBA 6th man, just riding the bench, looking for one year deal after one year deal.

Sounds legit. Tell me, what does Dirty Bird really even mean thoooo?

I get this one a lot.

Are you calling my questions unoriginal?

So, there's no big meaning or significance. The story is, I went to BC and we were the Eagles. In the middle of Covid, all my college friends were back home and disconnected from each other. One of us, maybe me, thought it was a good idea to sign us up for a 200 mile RAGNAR relay race. Not a single one of us were runners... like at all. To get ready, we created a Strava group and a weekly leaderboard. Whoever had the most miles at 11:59pm on Sunday would win the week. It got to the point where guys were going for runs at 11:55pm, just to get 0.1 ahead of whoever was in first. 

Sounds toxic. We love. Did you guys ever run the race? And wait... where does the name come in?

The race kept getting pushed and pushed because of Covid, but eventually it happened and we actually did pretty well. I don't want to give you misinformation, but I'm pretty sure we came in the top 10.

I'm just going to write that you won.

We definitely partied like we won so that's gotta count for something. And yeah, so when we had to register a team name for the relay, we went with Dirty Birds. Turns out it's nice not to have a location tied to the name of the club because now about 60% of people in our Strava group aren't even based in New York.

Cool, I'll tell Finley you said so. When did you decide to take it from a group of BC ragamuffins to the glorious crew you have now?

It happened kinda accidentally last winter. My two homies Francisco Balagtas, Grace Liggett and I met up for a run at 6:30am one Wednesday morning on the West Side Highway. It was disgusting out. Sleeting sideways and just super uncomfortable. But we had a good time and we decided to go again the same time the next week. One by one, more friends started joining and here we are... 

Who would you say DBRC is for?

I don't want to say it's for everyone because that feels like a copout. It’s for the entry level runner. But also the new person in town looking to meet new people. People find us through IG or friends of friends and the DMs I get are, “Hey I just moved to NYC, can I jump in on a run?” It can be overwhelming to find your first club and we keep it light and fun. When people want to graduate on from Dirty Bird and start going after bigger goals, I encourage them to check out Brooklyn Track Club, Goldfinger, Rage & Release, etc. 

Some of the best. Alright, rapid fire time. Ready? You're not ready. Here we go.

What's Dirty Bird's programming?

Wednesdays at 6:30am on the West Side Highway. We meet at the entrance of Little Island, go 4 miles south, and end at Laughing Man Cafe, which is owned by the guy in Wolverine... What's his name? It's a sexy pace and everyone sticks together. Then we do a bi-weekly Thursday night run where we end at a bar. And on the opposite week we do a Saturday long run where we finish at a cafe... or a bar... depends on the day. 

His name is Huge Jacked-man.

How many Dirty Birds are there? 

260-ish in the Strava Group, 100 of which are in the City. Give or take, 40 come out on Wednesday mornings and then 10-15 on Thursday and Saturday. It's a great crew and anyone can show up.

If Dirty Bird was a TV Show what would it be?

Now that's a good question. I'll go with the Brady Bunch. We've become a quirky  little family that meets up on Wednesdays.

Muffin hands or corduroy skin? 

Corduroy skin… I love muffins, but I look decent in corduroy.

What’s the dream? 

We’re living in it now. 

Who’s the dirtiest bird? 

Andrew “Mango” Manginelli. Far and away. The man just wears matching tracksuits all day long. I don't know a better way to explain.

What are you most excited about this year?

For me or for the club?

For the club Jack, God not everything is about you!

The NYC Marathon. It's gonna be the Super Bowl for us. We've got like 50 people running and our cheer zone is going to be outrageous. 

Thanks Jack. Luv you dog.