CINCINNATI, Ohio — This is not your typical weekend race — this is Cupid’s Undie Run.
It’s a great way to get attention and an even better way to raise money for neurofibromatosis, research.
- People raced their skivvies to show solidarity with those suffering from NF
- The race started and finished at Galla Park, across from Great American Ball Park
- The race is one of 39 in the country and each city pools their money together to donate to the Children’s Tumor Foundation
Race Co-Director John Smith said NF is a disease that affects one in every 3,000 births.
“NF is a rare genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on the nervous system throughout the body,” Smith said.
He said these folks run in their skivvies and brave the elements to show solidarity with those suffering from NF.
“There’s no cure, there’s no treatment of any kind,” Smith said. “So, all the money we raise through Cupid’s Undie Run, we actually earmark it, specifically for research to find a cure.”
The race started and finished at Galla Park, right across from Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
First-time runner Gina Stack was a little nervous at the start.
“I’m expecting to be very cold,” she said.
Scott Dougherty ran in the race 5 times, and said it’s purely exhilarating.
“You get to the venue and it’s like a cold day outside, and you’re all worried about running, but when it’s time to run, I think everything fills you with that pride and that exhilaration and you just go,” Dougherty said. “You don’t even realize you’re cold till it’s over.”
This race is one of 39 in the country, and each city pools their money together to donate to the Children’s Tumor Foundation.
Smith said at the start of the day, the race had already raised $25,000, but he’s hoping for more.
“Our goal was 25, and we’ve hit that today,” he said. “We’re really excited about that. But I go further, I wanna do more.”