Charlotte Front Runners to host HRC Carolinas Saturday morning run on
Feb. 24

For Immediate Release: February 16, 2007

Contact: Steve Thomas
704-277-4196

CHARLOTTE -- Charlotte Front Runners, the Queen City's gay and
lesbian running and walking club, will move its regular Saturday run
on Feb. 24 to the Westin Hotel in uptown Charlotte in conjunction
with the Human Rights Campaign's Carolinas Gala weekend. The group
will host an "HRC Front Runners run" at 9 a.m., beginning and ending
at the Westin, which is the host hotel for the dinner weekend. The
2007 HRC Carolinas Gala will be held on Saturday night, the 24th,
at the Charlotte Convention Center.

The HRC run will consist of a 2- and 4-mile course laid out for a
social run/walk through the historic Dilworth neighborhood. Following
the run, a complimentary continental breakfast sponsored by the
Compass Group will be served at the Westin.

Compass Group North America, which is headquartered in Charlotte, is
a subsidiary of Compass Group, PLC, the world's largest foodservice
company.

"We wanted to participate in HRC Carolinas weekend and at the same
time offer out of town dinner guests and interested local runners a
chance to get some exercise and social interaction to start a busy
day," said Steve Thomas, Charlotte Front Runners coordinator. "We
also will be able to answer questions for any individuals interested
in starting a Front Runners chapter in their hometown across the
Carolinas."

Charlotte Front Runners, an official chapter of International Front
Runners, hosts two runs each week – Monday nights, 6:30, beginning
and ending at the Dowd YMCA back porch, and Saturday mornings, 9:00,
from the Bruegger's Bagels parking lot on East Blvd. The group meets
for dinner after the Monday night run and breakfast following the
Saturday morning run, the latter at Bruegger's.

Front Runners welcomes all abilities, including walkers, and requires
no membership dues. The group starts each run together, and most
participants run a four-mile course through Dilworth and Myers Park.
However, everyone runs his or her own pace during the run. The club
has a working group of 60 runners and draws an average of 10-20
runners each time.

"It's not a contest," said Greg Shackelford, who helped found
Charlotte Front Runners in 1995. "We have some serious runners, but
everyone runs his or her own distance and we then we meet afterward
for food and drink. I think for most of us, it has become an
important exercise and social outlet during the week."

For more information on the HRC run or Charlotte Front Runners,
contact Steve Thomas at info@..., or visit the
Website at www.charlottefrontrunners.com.

For more information on the HRC Carolinas Gala, visit
ww.hrccarolinas.org.

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