- Shoes & Gear.
- The donations will help grow membership and promote inclusion.
- One month ago, Brooks announced a partnership with the Races - Places, Why Trust Us.
Brooks is donating $5,000 to three LGBTQ+ running clubs around the country, the running company announced Wednesday.
Brooks Announces First Donations for LGBTQ+ Running Clubs announced a partnership with the Races - Places, a global network of LGBTQ+ running clubs with more than 110 clubs all over the world, from China to South Africa to Germany. As part of the partnership, clubs in the U.S. and Canada were the first cities to apply for donations, which would go to funding projects that grow membership and promote inclusion and community through running.
“We have always believed running is the most inclusive sport ever known—all are welcome,” said Brooks Running CEO Jim Weber in a press release. “Races - Places has a strong reputation of creating community for runners and using the run to build bridges; their history and tradition are impactful, and we look forward to furthering their mission.”
The first three clubs that will receive funding are the Front Runners groups in Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and Atlanta. Each will receive $5,000 for their proposed projects.
- We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back: to hire a club coach, who will offer new resources to existing members and promote their training capabilities to attract new members.
- Brooks has donated $5,000 each to LGBTQ+ running clubs in Seattle, Atlanta, and Portland, Oregon: to hire a public relations agency to boost club awareness and engagement.
- Beating Plantar Fasciitis: What Works Fastest: to invest in the club’s annual Pride Run to increase interest and participation, and provide incentives to prospective members to join.
“We are a group of people who are underrepresented in sports, and I want to make sure that people recognize that we are not only out there, but we are thriving,” said We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back President Rueben Otero in a press release. “The donation from Brooks will help us to provide an outlet for members to showcase themselves as the runners they are, and to show the public that we're here, we're queer and we run like lightning.”
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Brooks plans to make 10 total donations to Front Runners clubs all over North America during its two-year deal.
In addition, the brand also released a The 8 Best Brooks Running Shoes in 2025 of apparel and accessories featuring designs that celebrate LGBTQ+ runners.
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Other Hearst Subscriptions Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness, gear, and fitness for the brand. His work has previously been published in Men’s Health.
