You’d have to be crazy to run a mile in February in your skivvies, even in usually balmy California, where we’re seeing startlingly low
temps this season. But on February 9 more than 8,000 people in 17 cities across the country and in Sydney, Australia will be doing just that. Cupid’s Undie Run will be held the weekend before Valentine’s Day in West Hollywood Park with a goal of raising more than a million dollars for Neurofibromatosis (NF) research and the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF).
Although this is the first year for LA, it’s the third for the Undie Run. It started two years ago with three buddies—Brendan Hanrahan, Chad Leathers and Bobby Gill—who wanted to raise awareness and donations to CTF after Chad’s brother’s diagnosis of NF. A genetic disorder that allows tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body, NF can cause blindness, deafness, learning disabilities, cancer and severe chronic pain. It affects more than two million people, and often requires patients to undergo numerous medical procedures throughout their lives.
The run is no Victoria’s Secret runway show; clothing is minimal but you’ll need more than a thong, and producers say there will be maximum commitment to keeping things PG‐13. Nonetheless, minimal age requirement for participation is 21.
There’s no cure for NF and few treatment options, so have some fun and share a little love around Valentine’s Day. Festivities start at noon at the Abbey, the run is at 2, and there are prizes and a party back at the Abbey afterward. Form a team, join a team or register as an individual at www.cupidsundierun.com and start raising money, because 100 percent of the proceeds goes to CTF. And anyway, you know you want to get in shape for bathing suit season.
—Abigail Lewis
Top photo by Daniel Pagel
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