Posted in Frontrunners' History by Morgan
When did Sydney Frontrunners Begin?
I have been asked this question many times and I cannot give an actual date. A few years ago some of us spent some time doing research in an attempt to prepare archives on the club. From this research I guess that the Club grew from members of the Sydney Gay Sports Association who staged the first Mardi Gras Fun Run in February 1985. There was obviously a very strong cross membership between SGPA and Sydney Frontrunners.
The following article, which appeared in Campaign in April 1985, reports on the event.
SYDNEY: While to most the weather may have looked below standard, the morning of February 17 was ideal for running. This was the day of the first of Sydney Gay Sports Association’s fun runs.
The run started in Centennial Park and finished at the Gay Business Fair in Green Park. The field of 28 runners had to complete one lap of the park before making their way to Green Park via Moore Park Road, Fitzroy, Crown and Burton Streets. The run started on schedule at 11am with running times varying from 28 min to 43 min. The total length of the run was 7.8km.
All-round sportsperson Troy Cooper was first to the finish line and was declared overall winner. The winners of the different categories are listed below though unfortunately there were no women entrants in the under-25 and over-40 categories.
Men’s U25: Troy Cooper, 28 min; Men’s 25-40: Robert B, 29 min 50 sec; Men’s over 40: Ray G, 36 min 16 sec; Women’s 25-40: Liz V, 34 min 29 sec; Special; Doris Fish, 34 min 25sec.
Following the success of this run the SGSA organised two training runs for the City to Surf and also a Fun Run on the 23 June 1985 in Centennial Park as part of AIDS Awareness Week.
So when did Sydney Frontrunners form as a club - still none the wiser, but I did find an article in the Star Observer in September 1985 which claims that “Established for several years, Sydney Frontrunners usually make a regular run in Centennial Park early each Sunday.” Journalistic license perhaps?
Oral history seems to indicate that athletes returning from Gay Games 1 in 1982 may have formed a loose organization of runners which eventually became Frontrunners.
Dennis J
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