It started with a bet between two guys sitting at bar.

It was a new year, and Brian Haney and Jack Manousos, owner of Killarney’s Publick House, were arguing over who could lose more weight. The argument turned into a bet, at first for $10 and then for dinner. Soon, people around the bar were clamoring to get in on the bet, arguing that they could lose more.

When the two saw the enthusiasm they had drummed up, they thought about turning that enthusiasm into something more productive. That’s how the two organized a contest to benefit Ryan’s Quest, hosted by Killarney’s.