Welcome!
Frontrunners Boston is Boston’s first LGBTQ+ running club, founded in
1979. Every Saturday, sun, rain, or snow, we run along the Charles River.
Some people go for a 3½ mile loop, some for a 5 mile loop, and some for a
7 mile loop. Some people walk, some people run. Everybody has a good
time!
Saturday morning downtown run: We meet at 10am in the Boston Public Garden near the tall flagpole.
The closest MBTA station is Arlington on the Green Line, but Park Street
is within a 5-minute walk. After the run, we meet up again at the
flagpole, then get brunch. Often dozens show up.
Wednesday evening Jamaica Plain run (new in March
2023!): Meet at 6:30pm on
Boylston Street, outside the Stony Brook MBTA Orange Line station, near
the Blue Bikes station. The 22, 29, 39, 41, 42, and 44 buses also stop
nearby. If you’re coming for the first time and/or need a place to store
your things, reach out to the Facebook group.
Thursday evening Cambridge run is currently dormant. When we meet
Thursdays, the time is between 6:15 and 7, and is announced on Twitter
(below). Our Thursday meeting place is the MIT Student Center in Cambridge.
We sometimes run on Thursday evenings
from Davis Square in Somerville to Shannon
Beach in Mystic Lakes State Park and swim. For up-to-date information
about our plans this week, please join our Facebook group or
follow our Twitter.
Come out and run with us this week!
About Us
Frontrunners Boston is Boston’s first running club for LGBTQ+ runners and allies, founded in 1979. We welcome and encourage runners of all ages and running abilities to participate in our community. We are an affiliate of International Front Runners, an organization representing LGBT running and walking clubs from around the world.
Saturday Run
The Saturday run is our main weekly activity. Come out and join us every
Saturday at 10am near the tall flagpole in Boston’s Public Garden.
If you need to drop off your stuff, show up a bit early and drop it off in
one of our members’ cars. After the run, we gather up again and chat, then
get food from places nearby (such as Tatte, Boloco, or Chipotle) and hang
out and eat at the Boston Public Garden (when the weather is nice) or in
the atrium of 75 Arlington/10 St. James
Ave (when the weather is not so nice).
How to get there
The meeting point is very easy to get to by the subway. The closest T
station is Arlington on the Green Line; Park Street is also nearby. If you
are driving, there are plenty of 2-hour metered parking spots and the
Boston Common Garage. Bluebikes
are another good choice, with several bike stations around the Common and
the Public Garden.
Timing
We gather and chat starting a bit before 10am. At 10:10am there are
announcements and introductions. We’re usually running by 10:15. Most people’s
runs take 40–45 minutes, so we meet back at the flagpole at 11 and are
lunching by 11:30.
Route maps
Our Saturday run starts from the Public Garden and then crosses over the
Charles River into Cambridge via the Museum of Science bridge. We then
split up, returning to Boston via one of the Charles River bridges. There
are three main loops with different distances. If you’re a newcomer, at
least one of us will run with you to make sure you’re not lost.
Wednesday Run
The Wednesday run starts at 6:30pm in the park across from the MBTA Stony
Brook Station on the Orange Line. We decide which route to run each week as a
group. Here are some of the routes we’ve run:
How do I participate?
The best way is to join us is to run with us on a Saturday. We welcome new members of all ages, sizes, and running mileages. Out-of-towners and visitors are welcome as well. All you need to do is to show up and run! We are very friendly people. More detail on Saturday runs can be found here. And to stay updated with our club updates and news, please join our Front Runners Boston Facebook group.
What should I expect on my first Saturday run?
First, look for good looking people in running gear on Saturday morning and say hi. We are always keen on welcoming new members. We will go around and introduce ourselves before we start running. At least one of us will be running with you to make sure you’re not lost.
Besides Saturday runs, what else do you guys do?
We have occasional Thursday runs, starting at 6:15pm in Cambridge outside of the MIT Student Center. In addition to this, we occasionally have social events or run races outside of Boston together. You should definitely join or subscribe to our facebook group as we actively post our next social events, upcoming races, updates, etc. on the page. We also advertise these events at the beginning of Saturday run.
Is there a membership fee?
No. The club is free and open to everyone. No registrations, secret handshakes, or hanky codes.
I still have questions. Can I talk to someone?
Email us at rnicoll {{at}} brandeis {{dot}} edu (replace the {{at}} and {{dot}} with @ and ., respectively.)
April 2023!
January 2023!
October 2022!
May 2021!
Boston Pride (2018)
Great group on the morning of Boston Pride!
July Social (2017)
A social at Cathedral Station in the South End
Saturday Brunch
Outdoor brunch in the public garden after a Saturday run