Event Name: Night Runners WPB Pride 5K Run/Walk
Location: West Palm Beach, FL

First, a Word About the Night Runners

Before we get to the photos, let's talk about the crew that makes this whole night happen — because they're the reason this is one of our favorite events to shoot. Night Runners WPB is a non-profit (a real 501(c)3) that puts on free weekly runs and walks all over Palm Beach County. No membership fee, no pressure, and absolutely no "you have to be fast." You just show up. They meet every Monday and Thursday at 8 p.m. at Howard Park in West Palm Beach, and once a month the whole crew heads to Isla & Co. at Grandview Public Market to hang out after the run.

And we have to give it up for them: they put together one fantastic event. Every detail was dialed in — the medals, the Pride Showcase, the water station, the cheer crews lining the route — and you could feel how much heart went into it. Best of all, the crowd was beaming. Runners were laughing, spectators were cheering, and the whole waterfront felt like one giant celebration from start to finish. That kind of happy energy doesn't happen by accident; it happens when a team truly cares about the people who show up.

Here's the part we love most: the club was founded by the LGBTQ+ community, but everyone is welcome — every pace, every age, kids and stroller-pushing parents included. Their whole mission is promoting health, diversity, and a little camaraderie, one evening run at a time. This Pride 5K is their biggest night of the year, but that same energy shows up twice a week, every week. You can learn more or come run with them at nightrunnerswpb.com.

There's a special kind of energy at a race that starts when most 5Ks are long over. The Night Runners WPB Pride 5K Run/Walk doesn't go off at sunrise — it goes off at 6:30 in the evening, on Saturday, June 27, 2026, with the sun sinking low over the Intracoastal and the whole Flagler Drive waterfront glowing gold. Rainbow flags, rainbow socks, rainbow tutus, rainbow everything. This was the 6th Annual Pride 5K, and from the first stride you could feel it was less of a road race and more of a moving block party with a finish line.

The course rolled out along the water in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach, past palm trees and red sponsor tents and a stretch of spectators holding signs that made runners laugh out loud. The air was warm and a little sticky — classic South Florida summer — but nobody seemed to mind. People came to celebrate. Some came to chase a personal best, sure, but a whole lot more came to run proud, run loud, and be part of something bigger than a clock.

So here's how the night worked. Every runner got chip-timed by AccuChip Timing with a disposable race bib, which means results were posted almost the second people crossed the mat. Every finisher earned a limited-edition shirt and a unique Pride 5K medal. There were awards for the top three in each age category across male, female, and non-binary divisions, a water station on the course to fight the heat, and a free Pride Showcase from 5 to 8 p.m. packed with local vendors and food trucks. We've photographed a lot of themed races across South Florida, but an evening Pride run on the water — with this much color and this much heart — is one we look forward to all year. Here's the night through our lens.

Off the Line as the Sun Dropped

Some races make you wait to find out who's winning. Not this one. Cleeford Saint valiere (bib 7536) of Pompano Beach came tearing up Flagler Drive all alone, shirtless, jaw set, and — this is the part we love — both hands pressed together into a heart right in the middle of his chest as he ran. He won the whole thing outright in 19:15, first overall and first among the men. How often does a champion take the lead and still find a second to throw love to the crowd? That's the photo that sums up the entire event.

Right behind the leaders came Brian Bennett (bib 7762), racing in his green-and-blue Front Runners & Walkers Fort Lauderdale singlet and looking strong the whole way. He crossed in 21:24, good for 8th overall. At 55 years old, he was beating runners half his age, and you can read the joy on his face — this is a guy who clearly loves race day.

<p>The front of the pack kept the pressure on all the way down the waterfront. One runner, <strong>bib 7327</strong>, came charging past the lululemon cheer tent shirtless and locked in, arms pumping, the spectators behind him a blur of motion and color. We couldn't match this bib to a name in the posted results, so we won't guess — but the effort in this frame speaks for itself.</p>

Personal Bests and Big Smiles

One of our favorite finishes of the night belonged to Cristina Ramirez (bib 1750) of West Miami. She came flying under the FINISH banner with a huge smile, palm trees and an American flag framing her against the evening sky, clocking 25:22 for 5th woman overall — you can feel the relief and the joy in the same frame. We caught her a few strides earlier, too: sunglasses on, phone in hand, hair flying, that big grin already breaking across her face as the line came into view. Sometimes the best shot isn't the finish itself, but the moment a runner realizes they've got it.

Not far behind, Laron Wallace (bib 7828) of Boynton Beach looked every bit the part in his black Night Runners WPB Pride 5K tank and a mirrored rainbow visor, powering home in 25:36 for 32nd overall. Honestly, the way the light caught that visor, we couldn't have staged it better. We grabbed him one more time farther back on the course — purple shorts and teal socks flashing, another runner chasing hard behind him, the waterfront and the palms and the spectators all in the frame. This is what running proud looks like.

Run Proud, Finish Proud

The thing about an evening 5K in June is that the heat doesn't quit just because the sun is going down. Edwin jackes Tique Medina (bib 7528) of West Palm Beach attacked it anyway, running with a towel tucked at his waist and a look of total focus, crossing in 25:21 for 29th overall — a gritty, honest race right there. And speaking of leaving it all out there, KrazyK Lampert (bib 7657) of Delray Beach gave us pure celebration: arms thrown wide, a bottle in one hand, a giant smile under her pink "RUN" cap, and a tank that read "BE PROUD" in rainbow letters as she crossed in 27:12 for 9th woman overall. That's the kind of finish photo people frame.

<p><strong>Garry Williams (bib 7994)</strong> of Jupiter came through the FINISH banner next in a bright orange shirt and neon shoes, pointing ahead like he had unfinished business, crossing in 27:25. Right around the same time, <strong>Carmen Gallardo (bib 7820)</strong> of West Palm Beach dug deep down the final stretch in a fiery ombre top, finishing in 27:14 as the 10th woman overall. Two strong runners, two completely different styles, both leaving it all on the course.</p>

<h2>The Heart of the Pack</h2>

<p>Here's something we believe all the way down to our shutter finger: the middle of the pack is where a race lives. <strong>Kenia Reyes Rodas (bib 7761)</strong> of Lake Worth proved it, throwing both arms up in her Pride 5K tank and orange shorts, beaming under a rainbow visor as she crossed in 28:51. If you only saw one photo from this race, you'd want it to be this one — it's pure joy. (It's also why she's on the cover.)</p>

<p>We also caught a runner wearing <strong>bib 1980</strong> striding strong with the downtown West Palm Beach skyline rising behind her, phone in hand and shades on. That bib didn't turn up in the posted results, so we'll let the picture do the talking — and what a backdrop it is, those city towers glowing in the last of the daylight.</p>

<p>You should see the outfits that show up at a Pride 5K. <strong>Richard Reilly (bib 1580)</strong> of Stuart ran the whole thing in a rainbow tank and a bandana, flashing rock-on hand signs and grinning ear to ear as he came up the course in 30:15. Fast? Sure. But you can tell this guy was having the time of his life, and that's contagious.</p>

<p>Right in that same stretch, <strong>Chelsea Messina (bib 7599)</strong> of Fort Lauderdale ran tall and smooth in a bright orange crop top and floral shorts, finishing in 30:31 with a relaxed, happy stride. That's an experienced runner who knows exactly how to enjoy a race.</p>

<h2>Color, Costumes, and Cheers</h2>

<p>The further back in the field you go, the more the costumes come out — and we are here for it. <strong>Natalie Justice (bib 7630)</strong> of Pompano Beach ran in a gray tank with a rainbow "LOVE" heart and a pair of rainbow striped socks to match, crossing in 31:11. Little details like that are what make this race so fun to shoot.</p>

<p>A few steps over, we caught a great side-by-side moment: <strong>Jenny Bonilla (bib 7575)</strong> of Boca Raton and <strong>Mike Plastow (bib 1792)</strong> of Palm Beach Gardens running stride for stride down the home stretch, both smiling, both finishing within a second of each other right around 32:25. You can't plan a frame like that — you just have to be ready when it happens.</p>

<p>Out on the wider stretch of the course, the field spread into little packs, and we love what that does for a photo. <strong>Robert VanGiessen (bib 7626)</strong> of West Palm Beach led one of those groups in a blue tee, with <strong>Emma Labrie (bib 7909)</strong> of Lake Worth running easy and happy in a light blue skirt off to the side. Robert finished in 32:43 and Emma in 33:06 — different paces, same great evening.</p>

<p>Then there's the kind of moment that makes this whole job worth it. <strong>Hong Kai Ng (bib 7666)</strong> and <strong>Nadeska Montalvan (bib 7665)</strong>, both of Jupiter, came down the course together with their arms flung up in the air, rainbow socks flashing, faces lit up with that we-did-it grin. They crossed within a heartbeat of each other, both at 33:20. Running buddies finishing as a team — that's the spirit of this event in a single shot.</p>

<h2>That Finish-Line Feeling</h2>

<p>Want to know our favorite scene-setter of the night? This one. A lone runner heading straight toward the big blue AccuChip Timing arch, sponsor banners snapping on both sides, the whole start-finish area buzzing with people behind it. That black tank he's wearing is stitched with the event's sponsors — lululemon, AHF Pharmacy, Vultr, LexisNexis, and more — a reminder of just how much this community shows up for the Night Runners crew.</p>

Some runners chase the clock; others chase the vibe — and both are just as much fun to photograph. Brooke Pietrzak (bib 7974) of North Palm Beach came down the course in a white rainbow-striped tank and a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses, finishing in 35:04 with a grin that never let up. Earlier in the evening, Abe Fangman (bib 7576) had powered toward the same finish in a teal tank with a small rainbow flag in hand — he'd traveled all the way from Overland Park, Kansas to run it, clocking 25:43 for 33rd overall. Two very different races, the same big smile at the end.

<h2>Every Stride, Celebrated</h2>

<p><strong>Lam Le (bib 7849)</strong> of West Palm Beach ran in his black Night Runners WPB Pride 5K tank and a headband, tossing a big thumbs-up at the camera as he came through in 35:43. That's the look of someone genuinely enjoying their night, and it's impossible not to smile back.</p>

<p>And then there was <strong>Angela Biagi (bib 1477)</strong> of Lake Worth, who turned the course into a runway. Rainbow tutu, rainbow ears on her headband, and a focused, all-business stride underneath all that color, finishing in 36:04. Fast and festive — that's the whole point of a Pride 5K.</p>

<p>The party didn't stop at the line, either. Over in the finish area and the Pride Showcase, the celebration was in full swing — one finisher threw a water bottle up in the air and cheered her heart out while volunteers in fresh event shirts danced and laughed around her. That free showcase, with its vendors and food trucks running from 5 to 8 p.m., kept the energy high long after the medals were handed out.</p>

<p>A perfect example: <strong>Tiffany Coutee (bib 7961)</strong> of West Palm Beach, who paired a purple tank with a full rainbow tutu and a red bandana, then proudly held up her finisher medal for the camera. She ran 37:12 and looked thrilled with every second of it.</p>

<h2>The People Who Make It Pride</h2>

<p>A race like this doesn't run on runners alone. The lululemon cheer squad lined Flagler Drive with a wall of motivational signs — "Pride in every stride," "Remember this feeling," "You've done harder things before coffee" — and you could hear them long before you could see them. We've shot a lot of races, and a cheer crew this organized and this joyful makes a real difference for runners grinding through the middle miles.</p>

<p>Once runners crossed the line, the medals came out and the photos got even better. We caught a trio of finishers showing off their hardware together — one in a "BE PROUD" tank, one in a rainbow skirt, and <strong>Mitchell Lampert (bib 7658)</strong> of Delray Beach in a "PROUD ALLY" tank, with <strong>Alicia Cattarossi (bib 1748)</strong> of Jupiter right in the middle. Friends and family, medals around their necks, all smiles. That's what race day is really about.</p>

<p>Two more finish-area moments we have to share. <strong>Isabella Mendoza (bib 7687)</strong> of West Palm Beach held up her medal beside a friend, beaming after her 34:54 finish — a reminder that this event welcomes everyone to the start line. And <strong>Leo Hedlund (bib 7795)</strong> of Lake Worth, who blazed to 10th overall in 22:07, posed with <strong>Shane Sadhu (bib 7700)</strong> of West Palm Beach, the two of them showing off their medals like the night had been exactly as good as it looked. Spoiler: it was.</p>

<h2>Why West Palm Beach Runners Trust Us With Race Day</h2>

<p>Here's what we've learned after years of covering races up and down South Florida: the photos are what last. The medal goes in a drawer. The shirt ends up in the wash. But that shot of you crossing the line with your arms in the air, throwing a heart to the crowd, or holding up your medal beside your best friend — that's the thing you post, the thing your family sees, and the thing a race director uses to fill next year's start line.</p>

<p>That's why we treat every event like it matters, because it does. We show up early, we stay until the last finisher, and we shoot the whole field — the champions, the first-timers, the tutu crew, and the cheer squads. Then we turn galleries around fast so runners can relive the night while it's still fresh. Because the race is on RunSignup, we sort everything so athletes can find their own shots by bib number in seconds — no digging, just easy sharing that gets your event tagged all over social media. And for race directors, that's the quiet secret: great race photos aren't a luxury, they're marketing. The image of Cleeford's mid-stride heart, or Kenia's arms-up finish, or two friends crossing the line together — those are the photos that get shared, that sponsors notice, and that sell next year's race before registration even opens.</p>

<p>If you're a race director in West Palm Beach or anywhere in Palm Beach County looking for a <a href="https://www.jppedicino.com/sports-photographer-west-palm-beach">West Palm Beach sports photographer</a> who knows the local courses, the summer light, and the heart of an event like this one, we'd love to be your crew. To every runner who showed up to run proud this year — thank you for letting us tell your story. Find the complete set of race results at <a href="http://www.accuchip.com">AccuChip</a>.</p>

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