One of D.C.’s most popular Pride season traditions is back, as the DC Front Runners Pride 5K prepares to kick off on Friday, June 9 at 7 p.m. at Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St., S.E.). Registration ends June 9 at 12 p.m.

“Our race starts and ends at the area colloquially known as ‘gay corner.’ It’s where Leonard Matlovich, an American Vietnam War veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal is buried,” Joshua Yankovic, race director for DC Front Runners Pride 5K, said in an email.

The epitaph on Matlovich’s tombstone reads, “When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.” For Yankovic, it is a reminder of how far the LGBTQ community has come in its fight for equal rights despite the anti-trans and homophobic rhetoric percolating across the U.S. 

“We realize we have a lot more fight to go for true acceptance in the land of the ‘free,’ which is why Pride month and this race are so important,” he added. “It gives us a chance to be in a safe space and have a fabulous time doing it.”

Yankovic, who became race director in 2022, has close ties to the race not only as an avid runner with close friends who are all a part of D.C.’s LGBTQ running community, but also as a firm believer in supporting local LGBTQ organizations focused on youths in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. 

Each year, DC Front Runners Pride 5K raises and donates tens of thousands of dollars to local charities from both the race and donations to its website. In the last six years it donated just shy of $200,000. In 2022, donations exceeded $50,000.

“These organizations always need money and the money has to come in so we can continue the fight,” Yankovic said on a Zoom call. 

For Ivan Cheung, the organization’s finance director, the “monetary value comes with spiritual support.” Cheung is a lifelong runner who moved to D.C. in 1999. To find community with other gay men in the area, he joined DC Front Runners where he said he felt included. 

He began participating in the event, eventually became a volunteer and his increased involvement in organizing the yearly run led him to his position overseeing the organization’s finances. 

Because DC Front Runners is a 501(c)(3) organization, Cheung ensures that it meets its tax commitments, helps select organizations each year to receive donations, and also helps fundraise for the organization as well. 

“It’s my turn to give back,” he said on a Zoom call. “It’s my personal journey and philosophy for why I want to contribute to this organization.”

This year’s event will feature, in addition to the run, free custard from fast food chain Shake Shack, free seltzers provided by local brewery DC Brau, and there will also be a finish line party with performances from drag queens. 

All in all, it’ll be a celebration of the LGBTQ community’s resilience.

“We hope to continue that upward trajectory and support these amazing institutions that not only protect at-risk youth, provide scholarships for teen athletes, celebrate inclusion and empowerment, and even provide a voice, in the case of the Blade Foundation, to the future journalists of America to keep telling our story and reporting on the injustices we see today,” said Yankovic in his email. 

Beneficiaries of this year’s race include SMYAL, the Wanda Alston Foundation, Team DC, Teens Run DC, the Blade Foundation, Pride 365, and Ainsley’s Angels of America. Sponsors include Capital One Café, Choice Hotels, Knead Hospitality & Design, Wegmans, and Shake Shack.

“Thank you to all the organizers of the Pride Run 5K,” said Washington Blade Publisher Lynne Brown. “Our robust journalism fellowship program wouldn’t exist without the important contributions that come from this race.”

In addition to the race, there’s a virtual 5K where runners can submit their times online. Visit runsignup.com/Race/DC/Washington/DCFRPrideRun for details. Packet pickup for runners begins June 4; visit the website for locations.