Portland Frontrunners

Thanks to for hosting our cute and sophisticated Happy Hour for April!

🌟 MEMBER SOTLIGHT 🌟

Each month we’ll feature a celebrated member of our community. This month’s Member Spotlight goes to James K., a regular member of each of our weekly runs! Hear from James in his own words below:

“As a lifelong, versatile athlete*, Front Runners has become one of my favorite sources of motivation and a great way to meet new people. I grew up in the pool, and most of my early community came from swim teams—My gay awakening came from a Speedo catalog in the 90’s. These days, I’m much more about enjoyment and connection than competition… although my boyfriend might disagree after our first Hyrox race together last year, where I may have brought a little too much intensity. I also enjoy getting pushed by Michael to run a little faster at the Saturday runs. I’m a regular self practice Yogi, and love mixing in CrossFit at Bridgetown Crossfit, pickleball, bridge(cards), or really anything that gets me moving outside. I don’t run as much as I used to but I might train for a relay race or two this year with friends. You’Il find me at FrontRunner events mostly for the community and good vibes. I grew up in a small town near Rochester, NY and moved to Portland in 2014 from Jersey City to work for Nike. Since then I have fallen in love with the area’s natural beauty and its collective mindset.”

February Happy Hour! Thanks for opening early for us 😊

🌟 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 🌟

Each month we’ll feature a celebrated member of our community. This month’s Member Spotlight goes to Michael B.! In addition to running with us, Michael has been an integral member of our community - he and his partner Mark hosted a potluck for us last summer! Hear from Michael in his own words below:

“Outside of Portland Frontrunners, I work as an international education consultant in school development, traveling frequently, primarily in China. I’ve lived most of my career overseas. I consider myself a late bloomer, coming out late in life as well as with long-distance running; I ran my first marathon at 50. I started running when I found out I had osteoporosis at 46. Running with PFR (since 2012) gives me motivation, community, and connection. As I never considered myself an athlete, embracing my whole self has changed everything, I’ve now run over 11 marathons, couple of triathlons, and will run Boston this April. Acceptance and running taught me the possibility of transformation and confidence. It’s given me the courage to face fears, celebrate my entire self, and find joy in what I never thought possible. I also love to swim, hike, bike, sing, and dance, especially with Mark by my side exploring the world, reminding me that life is meant to be lived fully.“