Jack Pinho blazed across the finish line at the Boston University Valentine Invitational in 2018, setting a new national record for Division III in the 1000 meter run, reaching the peak of his collegiate running career — he wasn’t even recruited to run.
When Jack Pinho’s high school gym teacher suggested he check out Springfield College during his junior year of high school, Pinho said he would look into it. But, once he dove into what Springfield had to offer, the college quickly shot its way to the top of his list. When he finally made his decision, he had no idea what was in store for his next four years, and the years following his time on Alden Street.
“Sure enough, my physical education teacher at the time, Mrs. Ebner, talked to me about [my] career path because I really wanted to be in coaching and teaching and [she] said that ‘this place would be perfect for you Jack. I really think you should check it out,’” Pinho said.
Initially, athletic training was the dream. With his aspirations to walk on to the track team and the time that would consume, along with the time commitment of being an AT major, Pinho’s plate would’ve been full, so instead, he decided to come in undeclared and figure out his avenue on Alden Street. After his first year on campus, he enrolled into the physical education program and never looked back.
While he was settling into his role educationally, he was pursuing another challenge athletically, pursuing his dream of walking on to the track team. After meeting with long time track coach Mike Brown, Pinho was encouraged to attend captains practices, and after seeing his commitment at those practices, he was given a jersey for the indoor season the following winter.
“I went the first four or five weeks of the semester just being a normal student but I found myself really missing that competitiveness that I had in high school and really being on a team,” Pinho said. “I’m just happy that coach Ken Klatka gave me the opportunity to really show what I could do for the team.”
When the winter season came to a close, Pinho was presented with the idea of running cross country, because at the time, it was the only way that he could stay on the team.
“My immediate reaction was to not do that,” Pinho said. “But, after I had called my mom, she kind of re-checked me and told me that ‘they are only looking out for your best interest. Cross country can only help you, it’s going to help you be a better runner. Just trust the process and they’ll lead you in the right direction.’ So, I ended up becoming a distance runner the following year.”
After his sophomore year, everything changed. Coach Brown and coach Klatka ended up retiring and leaving, opening the door for Coach Steinman to step in, getting hired in the summer of 2016. There was an “instant spark” between the two.
“I had reached out to her just to ask if there was anything I could do as a leader to coach the team and that I was happy to help,” Pinho said.
From there the relationship flourished, as Pinho saw eye-to-eye with everything that Steinman was trying to accomplish. The mental philosophy and what she was preaching to the team stood out to the runner.
“It wasn’t just about the physical performance. She really helped me on the mental side of things and that part of racing and running is really hard to teach, so I always felt like she was someone in my corner that was always looking out for me and that made it easy for me to really give it my all,” Pinho said.
As that relationship continued to grow throughout his next two years, Pinho started to climb the ranks on the team and in Division III. In the winter of his senior year, Pinho set the school record in the indoor 800 meter run with a time of 1:52.11. Running out of his mind, Pinho had a massive race at the Boston University Valentine Invitational, setting the previously mentioned national record for Division III in the indoor 1000 meter run with a time of 2:25.09. He continued his dominance that winter by setting the school record with a 4:07.89 in the mile, which still stands to this day.
He followed his superior winter campaign with an excellent spring by setting more school records. Pinho broke a 21-year old record with a 1:52:48 in the outdoor 800 meter run and set another record with a blazing-fast 3:47.90 1500 meter time.
After all of this dominance, he was not even close to his peak, as the best was yet to come for Pinho.
“I had a conversation with coach Steinman and told her that I felt like I had more to give with running,” Pinho said. “Did I think I could run a 3:59 mile? I did, which would sound crazy to most people, because dropping your mile time another eight seconds is a lot when it gets down to that. When people raise their eyebrows about goals, you know you have good goals.”
When he told her about the goal of a sub four minute mile the summer after graduation, she was just as supportive as she was when he was on her team. She wrote his training plan and workouts while also checking in on him and his wellbeing both in running and in life. Pinho was still running and trying to run at a level that he never had before, but something was different. There was no one else around. Just himself running and pushing himself with no exterior sources of motivation.
“I won’t lie, it was hard when you’re running and doing things alone,” Pinho said. “There’s no one there pushing you to do it. A lot of it is just the inner dialogue with yourself about getting the absolute most out of your body and mind mentally. It’s the kind of stuff that still makes me tick to this day, the ability to push your body to its limit.”
It was challenging at first but with the guidance of coach Steinman and all of the other relationships he had made at Springfield, along with the inner self discipline that he has, he was able to do something that only ten other D3 runners had done before: run a sub four minute mile.
Then, he did it again.
“It was a pretty special moment just because I had put this self-inflicted pressure to do it. There really wasn’t any pressure coming from anywhere else,”Pinho said. “I had been so competitive with myself to do it, and I was able to string together some really good training and find the right race and find the right day.”
It was a very special moment for Pinho as he proved to himself that he could do this amazing feat. Yet, as he started to train again for the next time, he developed Morgan’s Neuroma, where surgery was needed to take a nerve out of his foot. This took Pinho out of the sport for about a year, setting him back in his progress.. In April of 2025, he went for his first run post surgery and was able to get back on track and train at a high level. Things kept getting harder, the workouts were tougher,and he wasn’t getting any younger. All of this was happening while he was juggling being an assistant athletic director at Sacred Heart University. Despite everything on his mind,the goal remained the same.
“Going into 2026, I had made a pact with myself that I was going to try and go for another sub four minute mile to kind of prove to myself that the first time wasn’t just a fluke or luck,” Pinho said. “I didn’t want to be the guy that just did it one time. I wanted to prove to myself that I was a true sub four minute miler and do it again and consistently.”
For the rest of 2026, Pinho was focused on getting himself into the best shape possible and put together a string of training to be in the best possible position to achieve his goal once again.
“A race came up at the end of August where I was racing other sub four minute milers and was able to get it done,” Pinho said.
Although he has already achieved this feat twice, this is not the last time we will hear from Jack Pinho as a runner.
“I’m going to keep hammering, turning 30. I’m in a new phase in my life but I still have it in me,” Pinho said. “And, to be honest, I think I can run faster than 3:59. I really do. My goal is to run faster than 3:59.”
Pinho plans to get back into racing this winter and is happy for the support that his wife has given him throughout this process. It takes a village to achieve goals, and although he takes the credit, he couldn’t have done it without all the support from his family and friends.
Now that he is working at Sacred Heart, his role is to be there for student athletes, the same way Springfield coaches were there for Pinho. He says he is just paying it forward. Not only is he one of the fastest runners to ever brace Alden Street, but also encapsulates what Springfield College is all about.