The Front Runners & Walkers of San Diego will be hosting their 24th annual “Run and Stride With Pride” race and walk on Saturday, July 30, at 7:30 a.m. This is the first year the race is USA Track and Field (USATF) certified. It features a 5K run (certification number CA05030RS) and 1.5 mile non-competitive walk. As this is the first USATF certified race, Front Runners are expecting the turnout this weekend to be larger than normal.

According to Eurika Otto of the Front Runners, if the turnout is anything like San Francisco’s run, there could be 300 or more runners, many of whom have not pre-registered. Prizes will be awarded for the top three finishers of each age division, team and individual categories.

This flat course will begin on Laurel Street, just off of Sixth Avenue, then wind through Balboa Park around the Organ Pavilion, go across the Prado and around the fountain, behind the Spanish Village and Natural History Museum, past the Botanical gardens and along the drive within the park, ending back at its starting point.

The run is $25 and the walk is $15. Net proceeds will be donated to the Youth Housing Project, a program of The Center designed to provide permanent, affordable housing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and HIV-positive youth. As part of the entry fee, runners will also receive a commemorative T-shirt.

A pre-registration event takes place at Bourbon Street on Friday, July 29, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. for runners/walkers to pick up their race materials and socialize. You can register up until the beginning of the race and pick up your packets on race day as well.

Volunteers to help support the run are also needed at the water station and the registration desk, and volunteers are also needed to record finish line results, serve as course monitors and help with cleanup. You can also help with their parade entry as a float decorator, driver, or as a member in the parade. They’re also looking for friendly, outgoing volunteers to help staff their booth at the festival on Saturday and Sunday. To volunteer or for more information, contact the Front Runners Pride co-chairs at pride2005@frsdweb.org.

Every week the Front Runners meet at the southeast corner of Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street in Balboa Park on Saturday mornings at 8:00 a.m., and on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. (holidays at 9:00 a.m.). The North County chapter meets in Magee Park in Carlsbad at 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays.

Routes are three- to six-mile runs or two- to three-mile walks. On Sunday mornings at 8:00 a.m., an unofficial group also meets for longer runs of six or more miles at various locations around the city.

Front Runners began back in 1981 when Carol Pierce and Jeff Wynne founded the group as a means to get other gay and lesbian runners together, modeling their club after other running groups sprouting across the country and taking the name from The Front Runner written by Patricia Nell Warren.

Front Runners & Walkers is a participating member of the International Front Runners and has hosted the annual general meeting here in San Diego.

From its somewhat humble beginnings, with eight runners at the first meeting in Balboa Park in 1981, to its more than 250 members now, the Front Runners are continuing to provide that outlet for running enthusiasts – whether gay, straight or anywhere along the spectrum.

The name of the Front Runners was recently changed this year. In May 2005, the membership voted to change the official name of the club to Front Runners & Walkers San Diego to better reflect the activities within the club and its membership.

Upcoming events on tap for Front Runners include the 51st annual Balboa Park 8 Mile and 3 Mile Runs on Aug. 8, the 28th annual America’s Finest City Half Marathon/5K on Aug. 14 and the Camp Pendleton Mud Run on Oct. 22.

For more information about Front Runners, call the information number at (619) 835-9131, or visit this article online at www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to the Front Runners and race registration Web sites.