FRNY Lesbian & Gay Pride Run

Robert Wolf (left), Robert Scott Smith (center), and Nicholas Porche represented the borough of Queens: Wolf and Porche hail from Long Island City, and Smith resides in Astoria.

Fun was had by all at pre-race warm-ups. Sami Gebre (left) of Sunnyside, NY, and Elizabeth Gelber (center) of Brooklyn got their heart rates up while Ben Sherman of San Francisco stretched his cheek muscles.

Ross Zander (center) of Manhattan shared the peaceful, jovial vibe of the race with some Front Runners New York teammates before the start.

The cast of Mama Mia! got the crowd revved to run at the starting line.

And they’re off! As usual, members of local teams like the Westchester Track Club (WTC), West Side Runners, and the Warren Street Social & Athletic Club lead the pack.

Spirits were high as runners crossed the start line. Anastasia Ulrich (left) of Manhattan and Emily Hoaldridge (right) of Astoria pumped their arms in excitement; the pair finished the race together in 54:11.

Felix Lauscher (left) and Oliver Deller (right), both of Manhattan, finished within two seconds—Deller crossed the line first in 35:34.

Cheer New York, a volunteer adult cheerleading squad by and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and straight communities (LGBTS), added spunk and support to the race-day festivities.

Lucimar Araujo of Kew Gardens was pleased with her 45:41 finish, which placed her 13th in the 50-54 age group.

Brother-and-sister team William and Amy Picar finished the race side by side in 46:42.

In his second NYRR race, Girma Tolla of Manhattan finished on top in a blistering 23:09. He was the runner-up in the Joe Kleinerman 10K last year.

In her first NYRR race of the year, Alemtsehay Misganaw won by 10 seconds in 28:14. Last year, Misganaw’s winning streak included the Coogan’s Salsa, Blues, & Shamrocks 5K, the Run As One TGL Classic, and the Healthy Kidney 10K.

Walking toward the post-race festival gave runners a chance to cool down. At the 9:00 a.m. race start, the temperature was already 80 degrees with 67-percent humidity.

Elizabeth Gomez (left) and Carla Gomez were all smiles at the conclusion of the race. Carla finished in 48:55, Elizabeth in 58:03.

Freebies and funny stories were exchanged at the post-race festival and awards ceremony.

Popsicles provided a well-deserved reward after a hard effort in the sun; Lesli Harris (left), Kamala Greene (third from left), and Aisha Williams-Nyon posed with their pops and friends.

Hydrating after a workout is a lesson that Stephanie Kass (left) knows well. Her friend Liz Kinsella finished ninth in the 20-29 age group with a time of 36:02.

The Front Runners New York team basked in the sun for a photo that memorialized another year of successful running.

The post-race ceremony included the announcement of a great raffle prize—tickets from Continental Airlines.

Cheer New York waved the LGBTS flag high in Central Park to celebrate another year of unity.