Cupid Undie Fun Series Attracts Skin-Showing Runners From Around The World For A Good Cause
ByThe Cupid Undie Fun Run launched another batch of races this weekend in a combination of Valentine's Day, themed racing, and philanthropy. Thirty cities, including twelve new ones in 2014, throughout the world participated, including Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, New York, Sydney (Australia) and, well, 25 others. Pictures from Boston.
Started in 2010 in Washington, D.C. as a way to raise money and awareness for a genetic disorder affecting children, Neurofibromatosis, the run spans just a mile, but, as indicated by its name, requires participants to run in little clothing during the year's coldest month. Fun and philanthropy are prized over time and place - I couldn't even find race results for the most recent runs, while racers are pictured drinking beer (participants must be 21 or older to sign up) during pre-race festivities. The pre-event activities are quite the site: a room full of underwear-clad, New Balance wearing runners with double the adrenaline, race and extreme temperature-induced.
Above all, the run exists to help those with Neurofibromatosis, and to one day find a cure.
Tomorrow a new family will have their world turned upside down, they will be told that their child has a rare nerve disorder they can barely pronounce. There will be MRIs, many more doctors visits, and currently no treatments. We run and raise because we believe there is a solution to end NF and through the research guided by the Children's Tumor Foundation and the funds we raise, we will find it.
The genetic condition is highly inheritable and causes tumors to form in sufferers around the time they reach puberty. Sometimes, the tumors can lead to cancer. Even if their benign, however, they can grow large enough to "press on vital areas of the body, causing problems in the way the body functions," according to Kids Health.
The tumors can and are usually removed, though if they develop in the ear, which they typically do, their removal can result in permanent deafness. Children with the disease are also unusually susceptible to learning disorders.