The sun was beaming down on the beachside city of Santa Monica as a man clad in polka-dot bikini briefs and cupid wings jogged down Olympic Blvd. This real-life cherub was trailed by a diverse pack of runners donning heart-printed boxer shorts, red laced lingerie, and technicolor luau skirts. As they ambled past, a man in a Spider-Man costume crotched on a fire hydrant, holding up a sign reading “Smile If You Are Not Wearing Pants.” Cupid’s Undie Run had returned to Los Angeles, or as a passerby quipped, “Just a normal day in Santa Monica.”
For those unfamiliar with this skivvie-centric event, Cupid’s Undie Run is an annual fundraiser hosted in nearly every major city across the country, including Austin, Chicago, and Washington, DC. The afternoon consisted of participants jogging several laps around the block in their choice of eccentric attire, some more revealing than others, followed by a dance party at the nearby Buffalo Club. Despite the levity of the day, its purpose is to combat a serious illness. Neurofibromatosis, or NF, is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on areas of the nervous system, including the brain and spine.
“It’s just such a tragic condition, unfortunately,” explained Mason Ulves, events direct of Cupid’s Undie Run Los Angeles. “It affects everyone’s lives differently. Everyone’s body reacts to the condition in unique ways. Some people have been fortunate to have very minor symptoms. Other people, they’ve gone blind or lost their ability to walk. Even death is an outcome. So it’s a very tragic and unpredictable disease, which makes it very hard to treat, or even mitigate it. And there’s even no cure for this condition yet.”
For Mason, this issue is personal. When he was 10, he was diagnosed with NF, based on his cafe-au-lait spots. These dark brown birthmarks act as indicators for genetic conditions such as NF. Although Mason was diagnosed as a child, others don’t find out until they are well into adulthood.
“There are unique perspectives when people find out at different states of their life,” Mason reflected. “People sometimes get diagnosed when they’re a kid, really only a baby, and they grow up their whole life knowing they have this, which is one thing. And then like myself, where I was 10, I was old enough to process and question, ‘Why me?” And some people who are adults in their late 40s get diagnosed. “And that’s like, ‘oh my gosh, I have lived 40 years of my life. “
The festive nature of Cupid’s Undie Run not only combats NF, but also serves to balance the disease’s severity with an infusion of joy. And the runners weren’t the only heroes sporting their underwear on the outside at this event. This year, the fundraiser was assisted by Avengers West Coast, a volunteer cosplay group that participates in charity events. Their good deeds span from visiting sick kids in the hospital to walking with the Children’s Tumor Foundation in Long Beach. For their director Jennifer Athey, Santa Monica was the ideal venue for this year’s run.
“It’s an area that wouldn’t even blink twice about superheroes and people in their underwear standing on the street, running down, and turning the corner,” said Jennifer. “It’s just a fun place to have an event like this.”
For those of you who missed out on Cupid’s Undie Run this weekend, we snatched some of our favorite moments for you.
Photography by Mike Ciriaco
