The late 80s was sparked by the AIDS epidemic, strongly affecting members of Front Runners New York. Around the world, the Cold war was nearing its end, with the destruction of the Berlin Wall, the non-violent Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union. On a lighter note, Madonna released her ever popular hit "Like a Prayer" and both Back to the Future and Indiana Jones movie series were popular worldwide hits.
The first FRNY female president was Lenore Beaky back in 1989. Her trip down memory lane is shown below:
I was president of Front Runners in 1989 and 1990. I should mention
that for three months in 1990, Greg Valerie, who was the men's vice
president, substituted for me while I was in London and Paris. (Greg and Lenore are shown at right at the Vancouver Gay Games in 1990.)
What I liked most about being president: 1. collecting the mail and
going through it. Our mailbox was then on Varick Street. I would collect
the mail and go over to this really funky luncheonette called the
Williams on Varick Street and go through all the mail. 2. performing in
Rutgers at the Saturday runs, making announcements, calling on people,
and just generally being queen-or Madame President-of the club.
Particular high points for me were the Vancouver Gay Games in 1990 and
the International Front Runner meet in Long Beach. (I loved meeting
folks from the other clubs-I still remember the first time I met other
FR's, from LA [Bill Winkelmann], at a 4pm tea in San Francisco for Gay
Games 1986.)
We had nearly 500 members then. I recall that we would occasionally break
through the 500 mark, but usually we were around 480-490 members.
Runners found out about us from the bulletin board at the LGBT Center, or
from the Club News articles in the NYRR magazine, when it used to
publish reports from all the clubs in its issues. We had special runs
once a month on Sundays, and then brunch, usually at someone's house or
sometimes at a restaurant. We had special runs of all distances along
Riverside Drive, in New Jersey, in Brooklyn, out at Jones Beach, over
the Triborough Bridge to Queens, and up in the really woody parts of Central
Park above 90th Street. (Shown at left are FRNY members Leo Boneau and Dan Elliott waiting for the fun run to start in Central Park.) Women's brunches were held after races such as
the Women's Mini or the Avon Women's Half. (Shown below is a photo from the Apple Bank women's championship run in 1989. Donna Checkan and Lenore Beaky are on the right side of the photo.)
George Schlein played piano performances for our race fundraisers. Sue
Foster was our premier racer, winning or finishing in the top women's
field overall. Patrick Barker was also another standout.
But there were some challenges as well. The week after I was elected I
learned that we had a total of $1500 in the bank. The club was in
serious financial trouble and it took the support of everyone, in the
form of special contributions, to help us get out of it. We paid more
attention to our finances after that. For a while, there was a special
oversight committee which met at intervals to analyze the club's
financial position.
During my term, we lost both of our meeting and eating places, the Wednesday night
restaurant and the Saturday morning diner. On Wednesdays, we were meeting at a
diner called (I think) the Sunshine, on 57th St off Eighth Avenue (our
Wednesday night runs met at Columbus Circle) but they tossed us out when
they saw Bob Nelson changing his shoes and panicked. (I remember
wandering on 57th Street with Andrew Khoo, looking for another home.
Eventually we found one.) And we lost the Saturday place, which had been
a club during the day on W. 73rd just off Central Park West. (For a
while, we used to actually be able to order eggs, etc. there.) But the
owner of the space, a gay ex-priest, decided to go back to a former
life. Fortunately with the help of two FRNY members, Dan and Bob, who
were members of Rutgers Church, we were able to obtain the space we have
now, and while I was doing the regular Saturday fun run I invented the
"Bagel Brigade," the system of providing for ourselves which we still
basically have, however modified and expanded it's become. (Bob and Lenore are shown at right at a Pride rally in the late 1980s.)
I was president of Front Runners in 1989 and 1990. I should mention
that for three months in 1990, Greg Valerie, who was the men's vice
president, substituted for me while I was in London and Paris. (Greg and Lenore are shown at right at the Vancouver Gay Games in 1990.) 
We had nearly 500 members then. I recall that we would occasionally break
through the 500 mark, but usually we were around 480-490 members.
Runners found out about us from the bulletin board at the LGBT Center, or
from the Club News articles in the NYRR magazine, when it used to
publish reports from all the clubs in its issues. We had special runs
once a month on Sundays, and then brunch, usually at someone's house or
sometimes at a restaurant. We had special runs of all distances along
Riverside Drive, in New Jersey, in Brooklyn, out at Jones Beach, over
the Triborough Bridge to Queens, and up in the really woody parts of Central
Park above 90th Street. (Shown at left are FRNY members Leo Boneau and Dan Elliott waiting for the fun run to start in Central Park.) Women's brunches were held after races such as
the Women's Mini or the Avon Women's Half. (Shown below is a photo from the Apple Bank women's championship run in 1989. Donna Checkan and Lenore Beaky are on the right side of the photo.) 
