On Monday, Sept. 3, Labor Day, Front Runners and Walkers San Diego (FRWSD) will host a run/walk at 9 a.m. at the place the group has been meeting since 1981: a large tree at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street on the western edge of Balboa Park. The event is just one of the many gatherings of gay and lesbian running and walking enthusiasts held throughout the year and, as always, anyone is welcome to come.

For more than 26 years, FRWSD has been as revered an institution as any GLBT organization in town, athletic or otherwise. Yet, this organization, which for more than two decades has made “giving back” a priority, was founded almost by a happy accident – largely the result of a simple T-shirt worn at the right place at the right time.

That’s right, FRWSD owes its genesis to the chance meeting of two runners, Jeff Wynn and Carol Pierce, who in 1981 had both recently come out of the closet and didn’t know a lot of other gays and lesbians. Unbeknownst to them, they had something else in common. Both had just run the San Dieguito half marathon earlier that year. Wynn took home a commemorative T-shirt and happened to be wearing it when he attended a monthly meeting of the Gay Academic Union, a then-vibrant organization Pierce called “a great way to network and meet people.” At the meeting, Pierce recognized Wynn’s T-shirt and sparked a conversation.

The two talked about their affection for running and reasonably concluded there must be other gay and lesbian runners in San Diego, so they decided to form a club. Wynn came up with the name, which he borrowed from the gay classic, The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren, which at that time had only recently been published. It tells the story of a romance between a talented runner preparing for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and his closeted running coach.

“Jeff had done some marvelous research and found out there were similar clubs starting up in other cities, and they were taking the same name,” Pierce recalled. “That was good enough for me.”

Now that the group had a name, it needed a place to meet. At that time, much like today, the western edge of Balboa Park was a frequent gathering (and even cruising) spot for a lot of gays and lesbians.

“If we chose a spot near the ‘queen’s circle,’ as a meeting point, Jeff thought that a lot of people would know where that was,” Pierce said.

The spot they chose was that big, beautiful tree at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street, a rainbow likeness of which now serves as the club’s logo. Seven people showed up that first Saturday, among them a long-time editor of the Gay & Lesbian Times, Jeri Dilno. Now more than 200 runners and walkers strong, FRWSD has met at the same spot every Saturday, without fail, for 26 years.

Every Saturday morning, runners will collectively choose a course to run. There are many options, with courses ranging in distances of about 4 miles to nearly 6 miles. Not everyone chooses to run the same path, and in fact, not everyone chooses to run.

While walkers were only recently added to The Front Runners moniker, Pierce said members have been walking with the group since it started.

“People have always walked,” she said. “Whether it was because of an injury or an illness, walkers were there really since the beginning.”

For her part, Pierce says, “I don’t really like running that much. I’m more of a speed walker.” In total, Pierce estimates about a third of the group is made up of walking members.

Pierce, who is a marriage and family counselor, says that whether you walk or run the organization is a great place to exercise and socialize.

“Most of us date from within the group and socialize within the group,” Pierce said, adding “and of course that means eating.”

As great a social outlet as the organization is, FRWSD prioritizes giving back to its community.

FRWSD is an ongoing, major contributor to AIDS Walk San Diego, as well as various cancer walks. For years the organization’s annual 5K Pride Run has helped raise money for many different charities, giving funds these past few years to The Center’s Youth Housing Project.

Pierce calls those who participate in these events “a super group of people. We have as many people volunteering for these races as who run in them.”

Front Runners has often been called a “movement.” Today there are clubs in almost every major city in the United States, each taking its name from Warren’s book. Almost all of the groups are organized in nearly the same way, with friendly weekday and weekend runs offering social outlets away from the hustle and bustle of the bars and clubs.

Perhaps member clubs were all responding to the same stimulus, but each group started at roughly the same time. San Diego’s club is only six months younger than the one in Los Angeles.

For runners who are traveling to other cities for work or vacation, Front Runners can often provide friendly, if unfamiliar, faces, and serve as a great way to get to know new people in new areas.

Certainly that’s true in San Diego. But one thing that sets FRWSD apart is the number of women who participate.

“Most of the groups in other cities are male dominated,” Pierce said, “but in San Diego we have a strong contingent of women.” In fact, according to Kathie Kirby, FRWSD’s membership co-chair, about 25 percent of the members are women.

“You won’t find this much of a percentage in any other mixed group,” Kirby said.

Part of the success in the lesbian community, Pierce believes, “is because it’s been a constant effort on the part of everyone to make sure everyone else felt included.”

“Jeff is just as big a feminist as I am,” Pierce said.

For her part, Pierce is proud that this group she helped create more than 25 years ago is still vibrant and thriving. “I am so happy it’s there,” she said. “It’s been just such a gift to me, as a support system honestly, an incredible support system. Jeff and I just happened to come up with a great idea at the right time.”

Wynn, who is an avid hiker nowadays, spends less time with the organization, but still remains close friends with many of the original members, as well as many of those who are new to the club.

The group meets every Saturday at 8 a.m. and has expanded to also include Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and major holidays at 9 a.m. Many of the members also get together for longer runs on Sundays.

While you don’t have to be a member to enjoy the benefits of running with the club, membership is only about $30 a year. For more about running routes, locations, races, and a host of other information, visit Front Runners’ Web site at www.frwsd.org.

See ya’ under the tree.