Welcome!

Frontrunners Boston is Boston’s first LGBTQ+ running club, founded in 1979. Every Saturday, sun, rain, or snow, we run along the Charles River. Some people go for a 3½ mile loop, some for a 5 mile loop, and some for a 7 mile loop. Some people walk, some people run. Everybody has a good time!

Saturday morning downtown run: Our main run meets year round Saturdays at 10am in the Boston Public Garden near the tall flagpole. The closest MBTA station is Arlington on the Green Line, but Park Street is within a 5-minute walk. After the run, we meet up again at the flagpole, then get brunch. When the weather is nice we eat outside; in winter, we typically gather in the public galleria nearby at 75 Arlington St/10 St. James Ave (the building with Orangetheory Fitness in it). Often dozens show up. Route maps

Monday evening Davis Square run meets at 6:30pm in Davis Square, Somerville, outside the Davis MBTA Red Line station, near BlueBikes, then typically runs a loop out to Alewife Brook and back. We start with a group warm up and then run a 4 mile loop. After the run, we usually hang around to get dinner or a treat. In the early-sunset months, you'll want to bring lights, such as a vest or head lamp, as stretches of the route are dark. If you're coming for the first time and/or need a place to store your things, reach out to the Facebook group. Route map

Wednesday evening Jamaica Plain run meets at 6:30pm on Boylston Street, on the park lawn outside the Stony Brook MBTA Orange Line station. The 22, 29, 39, 41, 42, and 44 buses also stop nearby. In the winter months especially, reach out to our Facebook group to make sure we’re running this week. Route maps

Social events: We meet on the second Saturday of every month at a different bar and hang out, and we go out for other events, such as axe throwing, rock climbing, skiing, movies, and shows. Events are announced on Facebook.

We sometimes run on Thursday evenings from Davis Square in Somerville to Shannon Beach in Mystic Lakes State Park and swim. For up-to-date information about our plans this week, please join our Facebook group.

Come out and run with us this week!

About Us

Frontrunners Boston is Boston’s first running club for LGBTQ+ runners and allies, founded in 1979. We welcome and encourage runners of all ages and running abilities to participate in our community. We are an affiliate of International Front Runners, an organization representing LGBT running and walking clubs from around the world.

Contacts

Facebook

Join our email list

Email us at info@frontrunnersboston.org

Saturday Boston run

The Saturday run is our main weekly activity. Come out and join us every Saturday at 10am near the tall flagpole in Boston’s Public Garden.

If you have stuff you’d rather not run with, show up a bit early; usually at least one of us will have a car you can store stuff in. After the run, we gather up again and chat, then get food from places nearby (such as Tatte, Boloco, or Chipotle) and hang out and eat in the Boston Public Garden (when the weather is nice) or in the public galleria at 75 Arlington/10 St. James Ave (when the weather is not so nice).

How to get there

The meeting point is easy to get to by subway or bus. The closest T station is Arlington on the Green Line; Park Street is also nearby. If you are driving, there are plenty of 2-hour metered parking spots and the Boston Common Garage. Bluebikes are another good choice, with several bike stations around the Common and the Public Garden.

Timing

We gather and chat starting a bit before 10am. At 10:10am there are announcements and introductions. We’re usually running by 10:15. Most people’s runs take 40–45 minutes, so we meet back at the flagpole at 11 and are lunching by 11:30.

Saturday route maps

Our Saturday run starts from the Public Garden and then crosses over the Charles River into Cambridge via the Museum of Science bridge. We then split up, returning to Boston via one of the Charles River bridges. There are three main loops with different distances. If you’re a newcomer, at least one of us will run with you to make sure you’re not lost.

Mass Ave bridge loop (5.2 miles)
Also known as the Harvard Bridge loop, this is our most popular Saturday route.
Google Maps route
Longfellow Bridge loop (3.6 miles)
Google Maps route
BU Bridge loop (7.2 miles)
Google Maps route

Monday Davis Square run

The Monday run starts at 6:30pm or a bit after from the Davis Square station in Somerville. The most common loop goes out to Cambridge and along the Alewife Brook Reservation before heading back.

Alewife Brook loop (4 miles)
Google Maps route

Wednesday Jamaica Plain run

The Wednesday run starts at 6:30pm in the park across from the MBTA Stony Brook Station on the Orange Line. We decide which route to run each week as a group. Here are some of the routes we’ve run:

Jamaica Pond loop (3.4 miles)
Google Maps route
Arnold Arboretum via Southwest Corridor Park (4.7 miles)
Google Maps route

How do I participate?

The best way is to join us is to run with us on a Saturday. We welcome new members of all ages, sizes, and running mileages. Out-of-towners and visitors are welcome as well. All you need to do is to show up and run! We are very friendly people. More detail on Saturday runs can be found here. And to stay updated with our club updates and news, please join our Frontrunners Boston Facebook group.

What should I expect on my first Saturday run?

First, look for good looking people in running gear on Saturday morning and say hi. We are always keen on welcoming new members. We will go around and introduce ourselves before we start running. At least one of us will be running with you to make sure you’re not lost.

Besides Saturday runs, what else do you guys do?

We have Monday Somerville and Wednesday Jamaica Plain evening runs. We also have regular social events or run races outside of Boston. Join us or subscribe to our Facebook group; that’s where our events are posted. We also advertise these events at the beginning of Saturday run.