Running Club Profiles: Philadelphia Frontrunners

The Philadelphia Frontrunners is the local representative of an affiliation of LGBT running and walking clubs that have organized in cities around the world. The club specifically caters to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and their friends.

The first club began in San Francisco in 1974 and was inspired by Patricia Nell Warren's novel, The Front Runner. Published in 1974, the novel is a popular gay love story that sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

The Philadelphia Frontrunners have sister clubs in many cities around the country, such as Washington D.C. and New York City. There are about a hundred Frontrunner clubs internationally, from Japan to Australia.  Technically there are three different names for the diverse clubs, such as the FrontRunners, Front Runners, and Frontrunners, like the local Philadelphia chapter.

The Philadelphia Frontrunners meet regularly on Saturday mornings in front of Lloyd Hall on Boathouse Row. Most members run five miles but some continue on longer journeys, while others jog or walk a shorter distance. The club usually gets brunch together after at a nearby diner. Members also meet on Monday evenings at 6:45 p.m. in front of the William Way Center on Spruce Street.

Anyone is welcome to show up and join a run but to become an official member, the club encourages participating in about five group runs and satisfying membership dues.

The Philadelphia Frontrunners form teams for the Clean Air 5K and the Blue Cross Broad Street Run. In addition, members also participate in the Philadelphia Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon and the Philadelphia Marathon.

If interested in joining the Philadelphia Frontrunners, contact philadelphiafrontrunners@gmail.com.  You can also check out their website, www.philadelphiafrontrunners.org  or visit their Facebook page for more information.

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