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!

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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.

Contacts

Twitter — Facebook

Join our email list

Email Ryan Nicoll at rnicoll@brandeis.edu

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.

5.2 miles (most popular): Return via the Mass Ave bridge (aka the Harvard Bridge). (Google Maps route)
3.6 miles: Return via the Longfellow Bridge. (Google Maps route)
7.2 miles: Return via the BU Bridge. (Google Maps route)

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:

Jamaica Pond loop (3.4 miles). (Google Maps route)
Arnold Arboretum via Southwest Corridor Park (4.7 miles). (Google Maps route)

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.