By Sara Menco Arenas, Nova Southeastern University
For 36 years, Front Runners & Walkers Fort Lauderdale has served as one of the region’s most inclusive LGBTQ-friendly fitness communities, operating as a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a safe environment for its members to engage in weekly workouts, social events, and outreach programs across Broward County.
“There is an umbrella organization, but we are the local chapter, and our chapter has been in existence for 36 years,” said Eric Runyan, president of the Front Runners and Walkers Fort Lauderdale chapter.
Founded in San Francisco during a 1970s movement to create inclusive running spaces for gays and lesbians, the Front Runners network has expanded into an international community of independent chapters across the globe.
“Frontrunners itself started in California in a group called Lavender U,” Runyan said, explaining that the name was later taken from Patricia Nell Warren’s novel The Front Runner.
Runyan has served as president for eight years, having joined the club 15 years ago and initially taking on the role of social coordinator.
“I became a part because I had some friends that were also part of the organization,” said Runyan. “I mean, I’ve been a runner my whole life. I ran track in high school, ran cross country, and then pretty much enjoyed it casually all throughout my life until I joined.”
The nonprofit hosts three weekly runs, monthly social events, and partners with local organizations to make fitness accessible for all ages and experience levels.
The club meets three times a week at different locations in Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors, with its largest turnout on the Wednesday night run at Holiday Park at 7 p.m.
“We’re also a very seasonal club, you know?” said Runyan. “It’s hot here in the summer, so in the winter it’s not unusual for us to have 60 people at the run on Wednesday night.”
The group also holds weekend runs, starting with a 7:30 a.m. Saturday meet-up at the Galleria Mall and a Sunday run at the Pride Center, which draws about 30 participants. The Sunday run begins at 6 p.m. in the winter and 5 p.m. in the summer.
After each race the group goes out to eat, and their dining coordinator has a rotation of spots selected.
“There is a little joke that we’re really a dining club that has a running problem,” said Runyan jokingly. “The dinner that we have after every run or walk is a great chance for the runners and walkers to rub shoulders and have a chance to get to know each other.”
Participants can be members or join as an attendee, with annual membership dues at $40 and a discounted $20 youth membership for anyone 30 or younger. The club also offers a “financial hardship membership” for individuals who want to participate but cannot afford the fee.
“I think that most people if they stay around for a while, they do eventually become members,” said Runyan.
Membership includes a club shirt and access to several discounts on race entries, partner restaurants, and local running stores, along with a very unusual grant program.
“We also offer race grants after someone has been a member for three months. They can apply to have 50% of the registration fee for a race that they want to do,” said Runyan.
Alongside these membership benefits, the club prioritizes making its activities accessible, creating a walker-friendly space at every meet-up.
“When people show up, they introduce themselves to the group and if they’re a runner, we ask them what their mile average time is and we pair them up with somebody that can guide them along the routes” said Runyan.
Walkers are equally supported, with the group staying together on the route, making it easy to maintain pace and connect from the start.
For beginners, the club offers a nine-week “Couch to 5K” program held in February, that gradually prepares participants for a local race, such as the Rainbow 5K hosted by the Pride Center.
“We take people from being non-runners and, over the course of nine weeks, meeting three times a week, we get them ready for the race,” said Runyan.
The club’s focus on inclusivity goes beyond pace or training, as the club also aims to bridge generational bias within LGBTQ+ spaces.
“I think probably the most important thing is that there can be a lot of ageism in the LGBTQ community and this is one of the organizations where it’s really a possibility for people of all ages,” said Runyan.
Runyan emphasizes this commitment to inclusion, also recognizing barriers many LGBTQ+ individuals face in athletic spaces.
“The other thing that I also think is important, is that a lot of gay men have been traumatized from being part of competitive sports when they’re young,” said Runyan.
This awareness drives the club’s DEI efforts, led by a diversity coordinator who builds partnerships and outreach opportunities to make the club more diverse.
“We really strongly believe in diversity and just having people get to know each other. The one thing I hear about our club as opposed to other clubs is that we’re not cliquey,” said Runyan. “And there’s a lot of these organizations where there’s a pecking order, and we really don’t have that.”
More than a running club, Front Runners & Walkers Fort Lauderdale is a community where people can explore, connect, and feel at home.
“It’s just a great way for people to become familiar with everything that Broward County and Fort Lauderdale has to offer for the LGBTQ community,” said Runyan.
Sara Menco Arenas is a student reporter in a journalism course taught by Dr. Megan Fitzgerald in NSU’s Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts.
