C.C. Téllez

Cecilia (C.C.) Téllez is a Bolivian distance runner and prominent advocate for LGBTQ civil rights. She openly identifies as a lesbian and hails from La Paz, Bolivia while currently residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Téllez is widely recognized for her significant contributions to the LGBTQ community and the running world. She is the founder of the Lez Run Running Club, serving as its Co-Race Director and co-founder of the Philadelphia Pride Run. Téllez is an ambassador for Athlete Ally, an organization dedicated to promoting inclusivity in sports, and she is the associate director of LGBTQ Programming for Students Run Philly Style. C.C.'s work in both the athletic and advocacy spheres underscore her commitment to advancing LGBTQ rights and fostering a more inclusive society.

C.C. Téllez was honored with the prestigious Hero Award by the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund (DVLF) in recognition of her outstanding advocacy and support for the LGBTQ community. She joins an illustrious group of DVLF Hero recipients, including The Philadelphia Foundation, GLSEN, Giovannis Room, Barbara Gittings and Kay Lahusan, Representative Patrick Murphy and Brian Sims, politician Helen Gym, philanthropist Mel Heifetz, Olympian Johnny Weir, American public health leader Admiral Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, US Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, State Senator Sharif Street, Delta Phi Epsilon.

Delaware Valley Legacy Fund (DVLF) stated: "'C.C. has been instrumental in promoting LGBTQ+ acceptance in running. Her efforts towards non-binary inclusion resulted in races adopting more inclusive policies, including the Philadelphia Distance Run, the first public race to offer non-binary race registrations with equal prizes. Since helping to generate this change, in 2022, the Blue Cross Broad Street Run and the Philadelphia Marathon, plus five of the six World Major Marathons including Boston and Berlin, have adopted the policy.'"In 2022, Jenner Selig and C.C. Tellez were the top two finishers in the Buffalo Marathon 5k, making it the first time two females placed first and second overall in the race.

Cecilia (C.C.) Téllez won the gold medal in the women's marathon representing Bolivia at the 2023 Gay Games XI Guadalajara, Mexico 2023. This was the first time the Gay Games were held in Latin America. The Gay Games XI Guadalajara 2023 are the largest and most important sporting and cultural event in the world aimed at the LGBTQ+ community and allied people.