"The Underwear Affair": Raising cancer awareness with a race and lots of undies
Cancer research and treatment center City of Hope has figured out a novel way to draw attention to its 10K race / 5K walk, which will take place around the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles on Aug. 2.
Hoping to raise awareness about various forms of "below-the-waist" cancers (prostate, cervical, colorectoal, ovarian, testicular and bladder), organizers have christened the upcoming race "The Underwear Affair." In keeping with the theme, participants will be encouraged to either run in their underwear or to wear their tighty-whities, briefs and boxers as outerwear, "with proper running shoes and socks, of course," says the press release.
Silly though the concept may be, City of Hope is promoting the heck out of it Wednesday with an outreach event called "Under-where?" (check out the website Wednesday around noon) to take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade. In between providing testimonials from cancer survivors, Hope employees will actually be hanging underwear from a clothesline stretching along the pedestrian-only street from Santa Monica Boulevard all the way to Wilshire Boulevard.
Apparently, the underwear is up for grabs, so you might actually come down and snag a uniform for the Aug. 2 race. You're on your own when it comes to shoes, however.
—Liam Gowing
Photo of Underwear Affair runners courtesy of CauseForce
