To determine if it's possible for 8 members of Quintin's running club to run a 2 1/2 mile race, with each member running 1/4 mile, we can calculate the total distance that all members would run together.
Each member runs 1/4 mile, and with 8 members:
\[ \text{Total distance} = \text{Number of members} \times \text{Distance per member} = 8 \times \frac{1}{4} \text{ mile} = 2 \text{ miles} \]
Since the total distance of the race is 2 1/2 miles, or 2.5 miles, and the members together would only run 2 miles, they would not cover the entire race distance.
Therefore, the closest answer that correctly addresses this scenario is:
No, they have too many people to make that distance work.