PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Rex Surface is a runner. Always has been. At 77, he still runs marathons. For nearly half his life, he’s been a member of the Portland Frontrunners, one of the LGBTQ+ sports clubs in the area.
The Frontrunners began back in 1982, and Surface joined in 1989. The group went dormant in 1996 for a few years, but came back to life in 2001. Through it all, Rex Surface has been there, running. And he’s stayed friends with many of the runners.
“I got an opportunity to meet with those people— who are in their 80s now— just (recently). They came back to town to get together. That’s how this group hangs on to people,” he told KOIN 6 News. “Now, it’s very nice because we’re so intergenerational. I have such a goodtime with much younger runners.”
The group’s benefits are not just physical. They’re mental as well. They have social functions after most runs and have several social events a year…