Los Angeles Frontrunners

This is a review of the annual pride run that the LA Frontrunners organize each year during PRIDE weekend in West Hollywood.
The run was held in the heart of West Hollywood and began at City Hall on Santa Monica and Sweetzer early Sunday morning on the weekend of the PRIDE parade and festival. They had three different race options: 5K run/​walk, 10K, and the 5K+10K ultra run. The 5K race began first (7:30am) followed by the 10K (8:30am) run. The race course was a loop on Santa Monica, west to Doheny and back again. The 5K race was one loop and the 10K race was two loops.
I ran the 10K and while I wasn’t too fond of running two loops with the same scenery, the road was blocked off for the PRIDE parade that started later that morning, so the scenery did change somewhat as more people (and live bands) arrived for the parade and began setting up along the Santa Monica corridor.
Through the Thursday night before the race individuals could register online through
with a link from the LA Frontrunners race info page. Registrants could pick up their race packets on Saturday before the race at Griffith Park (after the club’s regular fun run) or the morning of the race across from City Hall. I arrived a little too early the morning of to pick up my race packet. I expected a big crowd, but there weren’t too many people and the registration system was efficient, so I ended up hanging out trying to keep my body warm while waiting for my race to start. Next year, I’ll probably plan to arrive a little closer to the actual race time so that I don’t freeze in the June gloom drizzle. Bonus: they provided bags and bag check as well so single racers didn’t have to worry about finding a place to stash their gear while running.
And now for the details on the Grab Bag. The grab bag of goodies and snacks and cool free stuff after you cross the finish line is probably one of my favorite parts about races. The run included: t-​shirts, shoe-​laces, food, and community!
1. The race t-​shirts were a great fit and there were plenty of t-​shirts in a variety of sizes for all participants. They were the super soft kind that won’t get scratchy after one wash.
2. Rainbow-​heart patterned shoe laces. The color on the laces was more like a rainbow pastel, as opposed to the bright PROUD rainbow that is usually associated with PRIDE, but shoelaces are an EXCELLENT idea.
3. Lots of 100 calorie pack snacks, gatorade, water, and soy protein bars to go around. They were encouraging people to take 2+ of all the pre-​packaged goods. I like being encouraged to help myself to more food. They did bring in a few fruit platters, but didn’t provide the easy post race hand-​helds like bananas and bagels that you typically see. I would have liked a bagel or banana, but the snack packs weren’t bad.
The race course felt a little lonely at times, I think because it was a smaller race and not super «official» (i.e. no race chips) so not as many people were there to fill up the race course as have been at other races I have participated in. Having said that, there was a real sense of community and PRIDE and LGBT unity that I really enjoyed. It is a race I would love to do again next year. The location is also prime for catching the parade after the run.

The LA Frontrunners is a great running and walking club for members of the GLBT community. What’s nice is that they offer organized runs and walks throughout the week and couple that with plenty of social activities.
If you’re interested in getting fit and/​or staying active through running or walking — the LA Frontrunners is the club for you. They have runs throughout the LA area, including:
— Tuesday (Griffith Park)
— Wednesday (Santa Monica)
— Thursday (Pasadena Rose Bowl)
— Saturday (Griffith Park)
— Sundays (various locations)
The weekday runs start at 6:30 and the weekend runs are at 8:00 am.
Great bunch of guys and gals with runners/​walkers of all skill levels and capabilities (so you never feel left behind!).
For those that have a faster pace, this group is also for you — as the LA Frontrunners has some of the most competitive runners in the state.
Also, the trail running is great with this group. On Sunday runs, the group will go to a different trail head each week — so lots of fun, challenging trail runs are always in store for those that choose Sunday runs.
The Satruday run at Giffith Park is probably the most popular, with anywhere from 40 to 80 people showing up at 8am. They meet diagonally across Crystal Springs Drive from the Ranger station — right next to the Jimmy Stewart memorial flag pole.
Again, great group to join if you’re interested in running, walking and getting fit — and importantly this is a very social group! Always a lot of social activities planned (so great way to meet guys and gals).