Proud runners experienced the joy of crossing the finish line to the cheers of supporters and the Chicago Spirit Brigade at this year's Proud to Run event near Montrose Harbor. Approximately 1,300 participants, hailing from all over the country, ran the 5K and 10K races to benefit organizations like The Night Ministry by supporting them financially and with exposure.
Additional photos by Jenean L. Watkins at www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/photospreadthumbs.php .
"[The race helps in] raising awareness about a lot of the struggles that young people face, people that are still on the margins of the queer community… so, we're really excited to partner with Proud to Run," said Jake Bradley, Youth Outreach Manager at The Night Ministry.
Donations of time and resources from sponsors like Urban Pooch, Whole Foods and the University of Chicago Orthopedic Center, helped make the run and after-party a success. Aside from The Night Ministry, beneficiaries of the funds raised also included About Face Theater, T-PAN ( Test Positive Aware Network ) and Frontrunners /Frontwalkers Chicago.
In 33 years, the CARA ( Chicago Area Runners Association )-certified Proud to Run has raised more than $350,000 for Chicago area LGBTQ organizations. Co-directors Gary Brown and Tim Henney announced that although they aren't leaving Proud to Run they are stepping down from their positions. Incoming co-directors will be Justin Koziatek and Ryan Hagerty. Brown stressed the importance for continued support for the only race in Chicago that is 100 percent volunteer-based.
Regarding continued sponsorship, Brown said, "[Sponsorships] allows us to keep registration down and bring in more people who, financially, it might have been hard to pay a lot of money… we want the race to be inclusive, we want the entire community to be able to come out."
The post-run festivities were hosted by Fox E. Kim and Jonathen Wikholm, who introduced guests Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles and Illinois state Rep. Greg Harris. First-place 5K finishers were Matt Frey and Susie Hufstader. Finalists in the 10K race were Kevin Garcia, for a second year in a row, and Maria Baad Andersen. Of the 1,508 registered runners, 1,303 completed the race.
"It was as hard as I thought it would be," said Luis Diaz, race participant. "But we had a great time."