Pride Run 2019

2019 PRIDE RUN PHOENIX SPECIAL EDITION

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THANK YOU

to the following Pride Run Phoenix Sponsors:

CASH SPONSORS Big 5 Sporting Goods Castle Mega Stores COSTCO CVS Health Natural Grocers Right Toyota Honda Scion Sonora Quest Laboratories Stacy's Sports VOYA IN-KIND BODYARMOR Super Drink Calmoseptine Ointment Fast Signs On Central Fry's Food Stores Hello Fresh KIND HEALTHY SNACKS

Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority Los Diablos North Mountain Brewing Orangetheory Fitness Phoenix Mercury Road Runner Sports Sole Sports Running Zone United Parcel Service MEDIA SPONSORS 12News Compete Sports Diversity ECHO Magazine EZ Sports Talk GED MAG Harkins ionAZ Pride Guide

Riviera Broadcasting VOLUNTEER GROUPS 850zip Arizona Roller Derby Aunt Rita's CVS Health Hyatt Hotels Keep Phoenix Beautiful Olivaressan and friends sister Sur Mon Visage Synchrony United Parcel Service US Bank VOYA NATIONAL ANTHEM Al Qaderi (MISK) Julia Thomson

WELCOME FROM THE DIAMONDBACKS

Are you Ready to

Run? Welcome to Phoenix, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks! The Diamondbacks are proud to be part of Phoenix’s warm weather and rich sports history—including the 21st Annual Pride Run Phoenix.

Being part of the Phoenix community is important to the Diamondbacks and we want you to take advantage of all Phoenix has to offer while you’re here, including the Finishers Expo & Festival before and after the race. It’s a great way to wind down and begin to enjoy your post-race time here.

Supporting the community has always been an important initiative for the Diamondbacks and we support the Phoenix community in a number of ways. For those of you who live in the Valley of the Sun, I invite you to join us on June 21 as the Diamondbacks take on the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field to celebrate the D-backs third annual Pride Night. We hope to see you there! For more information and to celebrate with us, please visit dbacks.com.

Have fun and good luck in today’s run!

Kylie McChesney Account Executive, Business Development P (602) 462 4747 KMcCherney@DBacks.com

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4 COMPETE 2019 Pride Run Phoenix Special Edition

2019 Pride Run Phoenix Special Edition 6 DIRECTORS LETTER

Dan Shabra, Race Director and Vice President

8 WELCOME LETTER Connie Wardman, M.A., SDLT

10 FINISHERS EXPO MAP

Finish Line, Beer Garden, Vendors, Restrooms and First Aid

12 RACE ROUTES

5K, 10K and Half Marathon 14 FEATURE

When a Great Idea Turns Into an IDEA: Pride Run Series #IDEA

17 GYMBAG

Hot Items You Shouldn't Do Without

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NOTE FROM THE RACE DIRECTOR

Welcome to Our 21st Pride Run Phoenix

Phoenix Frontrunners welcomes you to our 21st Annual Pride Run Phoenix run, walk, and wheel. Pride Run Phoenix offers you Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K courses through central Phoenix on city streets and an Expo Block Party with a downtown entertainment district vibe right next to Chase Field, home to the Arizona Diamondbacks. You are sure to enjoy this year's fun exhibitors, entertainment and beer garden that await you.

From race crew volunteers, partners, exhibitors and entertainers to participants, their friends and family and the spectators, we believe our "Everyone's Welcome" open environment creates the unique atmosphere of endless energy that is interesting, fun and exciting for everyone year-after-year.

We are looking forward to watching the winners, runners, walkers and wheelers alike as you complete your journeys and cross the rainbow finish line this year. We'll be rooting for you and handing you an awesome finisher medal.

We will also be providing you with finisher refreshments from our partner, Fry's Food Stores.

Of course we also will have you stocked up out on the course routes with portable toilets, water, energy drinks, medical provided by our partner, Paramedics Unlimited, and energy gels for our half marathoners supplied by our partner, Sole Sports.

All race participants, their friends and family as well as spectators receive free admission into the Expo Block Party from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on race day.

Race participants 21 years and older will also be treated to a complimentary beer by our sponsor, North Mountain Brewing.

Please help us thank all of our race crew volunteers as well as our partners by using and promoting their products and services whenever possible. Pride Run Phoenix would not exist without their invaluable contributions.

We also want to thank all of you race participants, your friends and family who are here to support you and all the other spectators. We feel humbled to have the privilege of producing Pride Run Phoenix for you year-after-year.

We’ll see you at the finish line!

Dan Shabra Race Director and Vice President Phoenix Frontrunners, Inc.

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6 COMPETE 2019 Pride Run Phoenix Special Edition

COMPETE MAGAZINE EXECUTIVE EDITOR Connie Wardman, M.A., SDLT connie@competenetwork.com Photo courtesy of Phoenix Frontrunners, Inc.

Start Your Engines!

Start your engines all you avid, dedicated runners and walkers – it’s time for the 21st Annual Phoenix Pride Run! You have come from 28 states and three countries around the globe to participate in this iconic Phoenix race that has become the flagship running event for the Phoenix Frontrunners, Inc. and the Phoenix community.

As always, the Half Marathon, 10K and 5K routes are both high quality and scenic.

With start and finish locations just a short way from the Jefferson & 4th Street light rail stop, the Pride Run takes place within walking distance of the upper, midtown and downtown entertainment districts with its many beautiful downtown hotels and trendy restaurants, all of which makes Phoenix the perfect weekend destination for a race!

And be sure you plan to stick around and enjoy the expo block party with its fun atmosphere, entertainment, exhibitors and unique downtown vibe following the Pride Run event. So whether you’re coming to work on your personal best run time or your personal best fun time, enjoy your time in Phoenix this year and know you’re already welcomed back for next year!

Keep Smiling,

PUBLISHER Eric Carlyle, SDLT eric@competenetwork.com SALES & OPERATIONS VICE PRESIDENT Jared Garduno, SDLT jared@competenetwork.com This special issue of Compete Magazine, the voice of sports diversity, was created in partnership with Phoenix FrontRunners, Inc. If your organization produces or hosts a run, tournament, sports festival, awards ceremony or other type of event, please contact Compete today to find out how we can partner to produce a high-quality issue unique to your organization and its special events. Send us an email at publications@competenetwork.com Copyright © 2019 MEDIA OUT LOUD, LLC All Rights Reserved Corporate Office 6991 E Camelback Road, Ste. D-300 Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Compete is a trademark of Media Out Loud, LLC 480-386-7174 MISSION STATEMENT Compete unites the world through sports. competenetwork.com

facebook.com/competemag

Connie Wardman, M.A., SDLT Executive Editor connie@competenetwork.com @CompeteConnie

@competesports Compete Magazine instagram.com/competemagazine

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10 COMPETE 2019 Pride Run Phoenix Special Edition

Photo courtesy of Phoenix Frontrunners, Inc.

RACE ROUTES

10K

5K

Race Routes

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12 COMPETE 2019 Pride Run Phoenix Special Edition

RACE ROUTES

Photo courtesy of Phoenix Frontrunners, Inc.

HALF MARATHON

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Photo courtesy of Phoenix Frontrunners, Inc.

WHEN A GREAT IDEA TURNS INTO AN

IDEA:

PRIDE RUN SERIES Since the Phoenix Frontrunners, Inc. (PHXFR) began in 1999 and held its first Pride Run in 1998, the organization has always been about welcoming everyone who wants to be part of its fun environment, one that offers respect for equality, inclusion, diversity and acceptance for all its members. Its mission has always been to promote healthy lifestyles and personal physical and mental well-being through running and walking and by offering a wide range of events, activities, educational materials, tools and classes to aid runners and walkers achieve their fitness goals.

PHXFR has also undergone several name changes over the years as it continued to grow and make overall improvements to its Pride Run & Walk events. In 2013 the group changed its name to the Phoenix Frontrunners, Inc., both to align the name with its main city as well as with its peer Front Runner organizations across the U.S. That same year PHXFR also became a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation focused on education with the mission of helping to better the lives of all runners and walkers who interact with the group in any of its race events and activities.

In 2016 the organization introduced its Half Marathon. The next year PHXFR introduced its new USATFcertified courses with a Half Marathon, a 10K and a 5K run and walk. And by

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2017 Phoenix Frontrunners had grown to become one of the largest nonprofit owned event production companies in Arizona providing high-quality professional race events for runners and walkers. Now it also provides event management services for endurance sports to other nonprofits and businesses. It has even launched its own line of apparel and medal production as well as launching an intuitive race calendar, RaceLookup.com.

But the basic tenet of the group has always been about creating and maintaining a fun and enjoyable environment that respected all individuals – one that offered acceptance, inclusion, diversity and equality for all its members. Then one day Kurt Gross, PHXFR president and Dan Shabra, its vice president and treasurer

14 COMPETE 2019 Pride Run Phoenix Special Edition

FEATURE were meeting with its six-year partner Compete Magazine and an idea became an IDEA! As Gross and Shabra talked about their desire to expand their services and personal expertise beyond Arizona to emphasize their deeply-held belief in the importance of their Pride Runs, in a serendipitous moment their idea of acceptance, inclusion, diversity and equality turned into Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Acceptance – it became an IDEA. And with that, their Pride Run Series was born.

As the managing directors of RaceLookup.com, both Shabra and Gross manage and host numerous runs and walks each year. Shabra says the Pride Run Series consists of six events, each held in a different state across the U.S. Each race represents one color from the LGBTQ Pride Flag – life, healing, sunlight, nature, serenity and spirit. The purpose of each Pride Run is to educate and remind people in that state about the importance of Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Acceptance (IDEA) in a fun and healthy way.

Emphasizing that “Everybody’s Welcome,” the race encourages everyone to support the #IDEA that we are in this life/race together.

Each city’s race event schedule offers either a Half Marathon, 10K and/or a 5K with a Full Marathon to be introduced in select cities over time.

Launched this January with the January 19, 2019 Pride Run at the Sin City Classic in Las Vegas, it offered

as # Pr id eR un La sV eg # s in C it y C l a s s ic

both a 10K and 5K race in its first year.

The course was a fast street course within Springs Preserve near the Las Vegas Strip that looped with minimal elevation changes of approximately 50 feet. Sponsors T-Mobile and Orange Theory and great volunteers helped 10 teams and over 100 runners from 12 states and five foreign countries reach their personal best (PB) or just enjoy the scenic race course. There was no requirement to be involved with the Sin City Classic to participate in Pride Run Las Vegas.

The Phoenix Pride Run is the second of the six races in this year’s series on March 23, 2019.

This race has built a large national and international following over the years and shows no sign of slowing down. It offers USATF- certified and professionally timed Half Marathon, 10K and 5K races on flat, fast street courses with minimal elevation changes and turns through the uptown, midtown and downtown Phoenix entertainment districts. This race is considered by many to be a great training run for the Boston Marathon.

The third race to join the 2019 Pride Run Series is the already established Pride Run DC. The Seventh Annual DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K on Friday, June 7, 2019

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FEATURE

starts at historical Congressional Cemetery. With a field of over 1,500 participants, the chip-timed 5K race on a fast river-view course passes some of Washington, D.C.’s most iconic scenery. Since each race in the Pride Series keeps its own distinctive details, there is more opportunity to claim an age division medal in the DC race since age groups have changed to a five-year spread. The race will be followed by a finish line party featuring

beer and snacks for race participants, live DJ, entertainment and awards for the top performers. This year’s DC race proceeds benefit local LGBTQ and youth-supporting organizations, including the Team DC StudentAthlete Scholarship, Wanda Alston Foundation and Casa Ruby.

The 2019 Pride Run Series looks forward to spreading this great race idea and series nationally. Will your state’s running and walking group be one of the three new states to fill in this year’s series? After all, as the series tagline says, “Life is better with all of us in it!”

Photo courtesy of Phoenix Frontrunners, Inc.

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GYM BAG

GYM BAG

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COME OUT &

have a ball!

May 17-19, 2019 RICHMOND, VIRGINIA In partnership with ASANA Softball, International Gay & Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) and USA Dodgeball DODGEBALL | SOFTBALL | SOCCER Registration information sportsdiversityjubilee.com