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VIDEO: Cody Hill talks about the growing running community in Colorado Spr...

Cody Hill sat in the corner of his newly expanded Boulder Running Company store, smiled and shook his head as he revealed some personal history. It's all a little funny now - and it's a great success story - but he admits
he and his wife, Lori, took a bit of a gamble.

"I was 27 and she was 25, we weren't even married and we moved here and opened the store," Hill said."At the time, I didn't think I was that young. Now I think, 'you've got to be kidding me.'"

Cody and Lori loved running. Cody had competed as a member of the Western State College cross country and track teams. Lori was a runner and high school cross country coach. They both learned the retail game working at the Boulder Running Company store in Littleton.

"Working there, we saw a lot of checks from Colorado Springs," Cody said. "We saw the opportunity. So we opened in September and we were married in December.

The move that changed their lives - and that of many, many runners in Colorado Springs - happened 10 years ago. This fall the BRC crew celebrated the anniversary by doubling the size of the store at 3659 Austin Bluffs Parkway.

The Hills have made smart decisions. In a tough economy, their business has expanded. Cody said it began with the store's location. Ten years ago The Runner's Roost had a longtime foothold in downtown Colorado Springs
and the Colorado Running Company had just opened there. Hill planted the BRC near the busy Austin Bluffs and Academy intersection.

Then the Hills laced up their shoes and became a part of the running community. They collaborated with the area's various running groups, race directors and coaches. They helped area high school and college teams and
runners. They worked with doctors and physical therapists. And they put in some miles of their own, building relationships on the Pikes Peak Region's popular
running routes. And they still run. Cody recently won the Great Pumpkin Run 5K at Venetucci Farm, setting an overall course record of 17 minutes, 42 seconds.

And then came a fortunate stroke of fate. Ryan Shininger of the Colorado Springs Young Professionals had the idea to start a running club at the Jack Quinn's Irish Pub on Tejon Street.

"He asked what I thought and I said it sounded like a cool idea," Hill said.

The Jack Quinn's running Club held it's first run in June, 2006, with about 39 runners, Hill said. The next week, about 50 showed up, then 100.

"I called and asked if I could come down and give away some coupons and shirts," Hill said. "Not long after that we were looking at what would it take to make this a Boulder Running Company thing."

A deal was struck and Hill agreed to provide the famous Jack Quinn's Running Club T-shirts to those who finish 10 runs with the club.

Now, the Boulder Running Company is one of the club's main sponsors, providing shirts and manpower to an organization that has hosted as many as 1,200 for a single run ... on a Tuesday night, nonetheless.

"The big winner in all of this is the running community," Hill said. "That's the coolest thing. It's such a social thing. You go and run and see all of the people have a good time."

Shawn Finley, a BRC employee who never misses an opportunity to help at the Jack Quinn's run, said the Hill's get the idea of community.

"That's the thing about them is they're community minded," said Shawn Finley, a BRC employee. "They're still as passionate about running - and about life - now as they were the day I met
them."

About six years ago, Hill helped start the Boulder Running Company Women's Fitness Team, coached by Judy Fellhauer. The group has grown and remains active, attracting women of all levels and abilities, beginners and elite runners.

Hill is the manager of the Boulder Running Company's "A" Running Team, partially sponsored by Adidas. The team is loaded with talent and places well in local and national-level races.

And this year, BRC started the Hellacious Trail Challenge, a 10-mile trail race in Palmer Park that enjoyed a very successful maiden voyage in June. Some of Cody and Lori's first runs in Colorado Springs were on Palmer Park trails. He always wanted to have a race there.

"Hellacious was the brainchild of me and Lori and Shawn," Hill said. "We wanted to create a trail race in Colorado Springs, something for the people who don't run Pikes Peak."

Finley spent the better of two months charting a course on the park's twisted maze of trails. On race day, the event earned high marks from some experienced runners.

"It's really a fantastic course," said Timmy Parr, 2009 Pikes Peak Ascent champion. "It was really hilly and rocky with a lot of single track. I loved it. For the first year, the race organizers did a fantastic job."

But BRC's soul is in it's customer service.

"Our philosophy from the start was simply to do our job for the customers," Lori said.

That began with a staff of four, the Hills, Kelly Mortenson and Matt Copps (who remains with the company). They worked 60 to 70 hours a week.

With time, the store picked up more employees, many coming from the nearby University of Colorado at Colorado Springs’ cross country team, and the staff has since grown to about 15 employees.

Cody said the continuity and longevity of the staff makes the store work.

"When people come back three or four times and see the same face, that's huge. We all hang out here. We work together as a group. We're friends and that shows in the way we deal with our customers. It doesn't matter if you are an elite runner or first-time customer, we're going to treat
everyone the same."

BRC employee Shannon Payne contributed to this article.