About
Mission and Values
Proud to Run Chicago has united LGBTQ+ people and allies through running since 1982. More than a race, we are a community platform that uses movement as a tool for belonging, access, and solidarity.
Our mission
Each Pride weekend, we bring together runners, walkers, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders to celebrate identity, health, and connection. We direct our proceeds to smaller LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations in the Chicago area.
That charitable purpose is the foundation of everything we do. Any expansion of programs or partnerships must serve and strengthen it, not dilute it.
Our vision
We envision a Chicago where movement and sport are spaces of genuine belonging for LGBTQ+ people, not just in words, but in practice. We work to grow the number of LGBTQ+ people who run, strengthen the organizations that serve them, and inspire the broader running community to show up with authenticity, courage, and joy.
Our values
- Intersectionality first. Our community is not monolithic. LGBTQ+ people also hold identities of race, disability, immigration status, gender identity, class, and more. Our programs and policies reflect this.
- Radical access. Everyone deserves access to joy in movement regardless of financial means, physical ability, or prior experience with running. Access is a design requirement, not an afterthought.
- Trans inclusion is non-negotiable. We stand in full solidarity with the trans community. We honor those we have lost, and we design our race and programs to be explicitly affirming.
- Community partnership, not charity. Our Community Partners are collaborators with expertise we lack. We fund with trust, without patronizing conditions.
- Equity in practice, not just language. Our governance, programs, and funding practices are continuously examined and improved to advance equity.
- Community-built, community-run. Proud to Run was built by volunteers. Professionalizing our organization must strengthen that culture, not replace it.