Front Runners New York Pride Run to benefit the "It Gets Better" project

Via Outsports, a press release from Front Runners New York:

NEW YORK, NY (May 11, 2011) – Front Runners New York (FRNY) is proud to announce the It Gets Better Project TM (IGBP) as the beneficiary of the club’s 30th annual Lesbian and Gay Pride Run. Proceeds from the five-mile race, which is a New York Road Runners (NYRR) marathon-qualifying event, will go to IGBP. The race, which offers something for casual runners to elite racers, will take place in Central Park at 9 AM on Saturday, June 25, 2011. Registration and race details are viewable online.

Every year since 1982, FRNY has organized this five-mile race with NYRR to bring its mission of better health, fitness and well being for the LGBT and LGBT-supportive population and to celebrate Gay Pride weekend in New York City. IGBP is the perfect organization for FRNY – the nation’s biggest LGBT running club – to partner with in this special anniversary year.

“The coming out process can still be very difficult for today’s youth as we’ve seen too clearly from events over the past year,” notes FRNY president Megan Jenkins. “Many of our club members ran the Pride Run as their first step out of the closet, so it seems wonderfully fitting for us to name the It Gets Better ProjectTM as the beneficiary of our race this year. This campaign continues to bring the message of hope and acceptance to those struggling with identity issues.” Jenkins was also one of the FRNY members who shared her own coming out story this past fall when the running club lent its voice to the rising chorus of the amazing It Gets Better ProjectTM grassroots campaign. The video can be accessed here.

Indeed, the missions of the two organizations are very much aligned. Over the last three decades, FRNY has – in a very real way – helped LGBT people discover that life does “get better.” At the end of 2010, the club had almost 700 members, making it one of the most active and visible running clubs in New York City. FRNY supports a beginner training clinic so that the sport of running can be more accessible to newcomers, offers free coaching to all its members, helps train people of all levels for of all types of athletic events, creates a welcoming social environment where all club activities are open to everyone regardless of financial circumstance and gives back to the LGBT community. While LGBT people may not have traditionally found a home in athletics, thousands have found a loving community, a family and a home through Front Runners New York.

“Front Runners New York represents the best of the LGBT community and has served as a support system for thousands of newly out LGBT adults for more than 30 years,” says It Gets BetterTM co-founder Dan Savage. “We are honored that FRNY has chosen the It Gets Better Project to receive the proceeds from their 30th annual Lesbian and Gay Pride Run.” For more information about the It Gets Better Project, please visit http://www.itgetsbetter.org/frontrunnersny.

Front Runners New York and the It Gets Better Project hope to see you out in Central Park on Saturday, June 25, 2011. Please spread the word today and become a fan of the race on facebook. For updates on the race and on FRNY events, please visit www.frny.org. Volunteers and those with questions about the race can email Megan Jenkins at president@frny.org.