San Francisco’s Pride weekend is fast approaching, with marches, live music and drag performances, and other social gatherings set to take place.
Most of the events have “p.m.” listed in their scheduled start times, but there’s one that brings hundreds of people together on Saturday morning in Golden Gate Park: San Francisco FrontRunners ’ Pride Run .
This year’s race, happening Saturday, June 28, at 9 a.m., marks 45 years of bringing the community together for fun, Pride-filled miles and a good cause, organizers said.
“I feel like it’s something that San Francisco FrontRunners hold onto with pride. They really are proud of the event that we pull off, and the money that we donate to charities is meaningful to every single member,” said David Adams, SFFR vice president and race director, in a video interview with the Bay Area Reporter.
SF FrontRunners, which formed in 1974, is the founding chapter of a global network of LGBTQ+ running and walking clubs. Its members get together for weekly runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and for monthly social events. They also participate in a team race circuit throughout the year, competing in local races such as Bay to Breakers, the San Francisco Track & Field Pride Meet, and the San Francisco Marathon.
The Pride Run offers two race distances – a 5K and a 10K – on a USA Track & Field-certified course , and it’s a big draw for the club’s nearly 300 current members.
“It's really our main event of the year,” said Adams, a gay man. “We get a team together to train for the marathon, and we'll get other teams together that will go to the different races in the circuit. But this is really something that pulls us all together with some meaning.”
The Pride Run brings in local running groups, such as the Non-Binary Run Club and the Impala Racing Team, and individuals and families looking for an early-in-the-day opportunity to celebrate Pride.
Adams estimates that the race will also have about 50 volunteers.
“To have that many people that are willing to get out of bed in the morning and hand out water to people and cheer on people is amazing to me. As a runner, I know how meaningful it is to have volunteers there and helping out,” he said.
Pride Run volunteers consist of SFFR members, plus those from the wider community who are more than willing to lend a hand each year.
“We have two women that just love doing the bananas and oranges [post-race] handout,” Adams said. “In fact, they reached out to me even before registration opened, saying, ‘Can we please do the refreshments volunteering?’”
Adams, who teaches math in Westmoor High School in Daly City, said he noticed several of his former students on the volunteer list for the upcoming race.
“They’re now coming back as college students. … All these years later, they're choosing to volunteer at the Pride Run because it's such a fun event for them. I feel so grateful for that,” he said.
A key component of every Pride Run is the SFFR members’ nomination and selection of a local charity beneficiary.
“It’s our one opportunity that we have where we donate money to an LGBTQ+ charity, so we really want to give it our all,” Adams said.
This year’s selected beneficiary is 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic , a nonprofit located in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood that offers services such as health care, housing assistance, workforce development, and counseling for young people, ages 12 to 27.
3rd Street Youth did not respond to a request for a comment.
Adams was elected SFFR vice president – with the major duty of overseeing the Pride Run – in December 2024. He assembled a Pride Run committee, consisting of SFFR members, in January, and has since referred to them as “the dream team.”
“We had our first meeting on February 3 and started talking about, ‘What did we want this to look like? What did we want the shirt to look like? What type of sponsorship did we want to have? What feeling did we want the overall event to have?’ All of that is exactly what seems to be what's playing out right now. I'm seeing the end result being a culmination of every single person's ideas on the committee, and I feel like it's made for a better overall event,” he said.
Committee member Alby Joseph has been co-leading the marketing for the Pride Run. This year marks his first time participating in the race.
“My heart often feels heavy lately – we are living through hard times for the queer community. The Pride Run, among many events taking place during Pride weekend, will be an opportunity to connect and allow ourselves to take joy in the activities and people we love, time that we very much need and deserve,” he wrote in an email to the B.A.R.
Joseph, a gay man, added that the slogan for this year’s event is “Run Loud, Run Proud!”
“Working on marketing for the Pride Run has been a great opportunity to reflect on what the event means, and how it can continue to evolve after 45 years. Especially with trans athletes under attack nationally right now, it’s more important than ever that the Pride Run provides a space where everyone feels included and encouraged to compete as their authentic selves,” wrote Ricky Gonzales, Pride Run committee member, in an email to the B.A.R.
Gonzales, a gay man, served on the marketing subcommittee alongside Joseph.
“At the end of the day, the Pride Run is both a fun event as well as a celebration of the incredible running talent that exists within our LGBTQ+ community,” he added, noting the significance of the “Run Loud, Run Proud!’ slogan.
Adams, Joseph, Gonzales, and fellow committee members have spent months preparing for all that a running race entails, including fundraising, coordinating volunteers, managing race registration, getting the necessary permits and supplies, and race day logistics, such as parking.
They’ve also secured sponsors such as the fitness apparel company Lululemon, which donated $5,000; the San Francisco 49ers; REI Co-Op; the San Francisco Parks & Recreation Department; local businesses such as Bi-Rite, A Runner’s Mind, and JAMBAR; and Castro spots like Barry’s, Hi Tops, QBar, and Badlands.
“We were a little worried about sponsorship with everything happening with the anti-DEI initiative that's been going on, but San Francisco companies have stepped up unbelievably,” Adams said, referring to the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion policies that are seeing companies also pare back their DEI programs.
When designing the 2025 Pride Run T-shirt that will be given to every registrant, the committee arranged the many sponsors’ logos on the shirt’s backside – and its significance did not go unnoticed.
“When everyone saw the back of it, their main response was, ‘That’s our community.’ And because I have invested a lot of time into this, I almost teared up. I was so happy about hearing the committee say that with such pride,” Adams said.
For those planning on going all out on race day, the FrontRunners also have medals for the top-three fastest male, female, and nonbinary 5K and 10K runners, as well as top-three age group medals for the same categories.
Regardless of one’s pace or time when they cross the finish line on Saturday morning, organizers noted that every mile will contribute to a bigger, community-centering picture.
Registration is $55 for the 5K or 10K through June 27, when online registration closes. Race day in-person registration (if available, it depends on number of entrants and the course limit) opens at 7:30 a.m. and is $60 for the 5K or 10K.
To register for the 2025 SF FrontRunners Pride Run, click here.
To volunteer at the 2025 SF FrontRunners Pride Run, click here.