So June 25, 2016 will be the World Naked Bike Ride in Portland, Oregon. This reminded me of an article I read a few years ago about the nude trail running scene. That is right, there are runners whom are so minimalist that anything more than a pair of shoes and socks is too much. Of course I’ve heard of Hike Naked Day, but I struggle to wrap my head around running naked. Even when I ran in a kilt I wore compression shorts for support.
So naturally (pun intended), my curiosity was piqued and I looked into nude running. It appears that it is a phenomenon that has been around awhile. What I found was that there are many events that are not highly publicized as this one writer found out, unless they are in a major city. Also they typically seem to be held at nudist colonies. With as much as we American’s talk about freedom, if you bring a nipple out and we turn into the puritanical tyrants.
A great example of this is what happened to the Naked Pumpkin Run of Boulder, Colorado. The Naked Pumpkin Run was a Halloween tradition in Boulder until finally the city government cracked down, finally killing it in 2010. I get that some people do not what to a see a gaggle of nude bodies bounding down the street, but these events are well publicized in cities, so viewer beware.
As for myself, I do not know if I would muster the courage to participate in such an event. An event like the Naked Pumpkin allows you some privacy while participating (You run with a jack-o-lantern on your head), which definitely invites the more timid to participate. I do think that it is cool people are connecting to the outdoors in a natural way without inhibitions. So if this is your thing go for it, there is nothing wrong with you.
Would you participate in such an event? What do you thinks of these nude rides/runs through cities versus private property? Please leave your questions and comments below, thank you.
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