This brief run through Manhattan was all about a good time for a good cause.
Some 100 runners participated in the annual “Cupid’s Undie Run” on Saturday to raise money for neurofibromatosis (NF) research and awareness for the genetic disorder that affects 1 in 2,000 births.
The largest pantsless party in the U.S., which takes place every February in cities across the country, kicked off with a warm-up party at the DL Rooftop & Lounge on the Lower East Side before runners, donning nothing but their knickers, hit the sidewalk pavement for the mile(ish) run to the Williamsburg Bridge and back in unseasonably warm February temperatures.
Cupid’s Undie Run was born in 2010 when co-founders Brendan Hanrahan, Chad Leathers, and Bobby Gill decided to strip down to their briefs and braved the frigid D.C. weather for a run through the nation’s capital to raise money for NF research and Leather’s brother Drew. Drew Leather had diagnosed with the rare disease at 16, and in 2009, became paralyzed after tumors formed on his spine. In 2015, Drew died of cancer at the age of 28 after one of the benign NF tumors turned cancerous.
NF includes all forms of neurofibromatosis (NF1) and schwannomatosis (NF2) that cause tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. The genetic condition can affect everyone, regardless of ethnicity and gender, and can lead to blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, disfigurement, learning disabilities, disabling pain, and cancer. There is no cure yet, though clinical trials are underway.
Since its inception, Cupid’s Undie Run has raised over $23 million, with 100% of net proceeds going to the cause. The non-profit organization partners with the Children’s Tumor Foundation, the world leader in NF research.
Stephanie McLennan, co-director of Cupid’s Undie Run New York City, shared that about 200 people had signed up for the New York City run and raised nearly $50,000.
“It means more money for research for NF,” McLennan…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply