You are visitor since 13-June-04

Early in 1992, a former San Francisco Front Runner, Fernando De Leon and a Sacramento running aficionado, James Brown met up and decided to form a running group. Using the Sacramento News and Review’s free advertising and several issues, they were able to get about six hearty souls to make it to the 9:00 am meeting place at Guy West Bridge. By July of 1992 the nucleus of runners that evolved into what is now called FrontRunners Sacramento began weekly Saturday runs which eventually expanded to Monday and Wednesday evenings.

James, Fernando, Rich Dewey, Walt Smith, Rusty Miler (?-last name) were eventually joined by over 100 other people, men and women, both walkers and runners over the past decade. Initially there were no dues and club plans and activities were made over post Saturday run brunches and newsletters were created on work PCs, copied at work copiers, and using at work supplies. Anything that was mailed out benefited from the excess money over the usual 20% tips the members left after meals and in home fund raising that met the budget needs of the group until 1996.

All the first attendees filled offices within the club, some serving in dual and triple capacities as President, Newsletter Editor, and Membership recruitment, and treasury.

As the club expanded its membership base, officers were elected by acclaim as most often they ran un-opposed. The biggest challenge – to expand the membership base – developed a reliance on voice-mail to inform members of planned activities and to inform out of area visitors of our meeting times, places. Local newspapers – MGW and at the time the Patlar Gazette were added to the SN&R – to advertise our group and encourage people to come out and run. The Patlar failed the test of time, yet our running group, like a Timex watch, keeps on ticking to this day.

The group is highly inclusive of all types, sizes, dispositions, and levels of activities. Running and running events remain our focus, yet argument can equally be made that we have a large number of walkers, bikers, hikers, and bladers! Some FrontRunner organizations refer to themselves as eating clubs with a running disorder and FrontRunners Sacramento is no exception.

As well, most of our activities encourage socializing – game nights, movie nights, dessert nights, picnic evenings and weekends, out of town running or meetings with other Frontrunner groups. We’ve done fundraising for the FrontRunner participation in the 1998 games in Amsterdam with the celebrated Hot Diggity Dog Day at Tahoe Park, contributed to the Matthew Shepard Fund, and have selected many of our Run of the Months based upon the charitable relationships the sponsors have partnered.

No history would be complete without a view of the future. FrontRunners Sacramento evolved from having a “Guardian of the Holy Tiara” to the more somber, if not expected, leadership title of “President.” We’ve come from no laws to bi-laws and from dues free to dues paying. The group has yet to incorporate or define itself as an acceptable and legal structure, a move that is necessary to allow the group to sponsor fun runs and provide benefit to local charitable organizations. The officers continuously strive to achieve a balanced and diverse membership.

Yet, no matter who are the leaders of the local group, it has always been and will always be the members who establish the friendliness and fun of the organization in their behavior and tone. You will find universal among all front runner groups a spirit of pride, openness, achievement and friendship that makes each local group one of the largest and long lived of gay and lesbian social clubs.

Though it may be somewhat self-congratulatory, anyone reading this note would be hard pressed to find a better group of people with whom to get acquainted, with whom to make friends, and about whom you would consider your extended family.