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courtesy of ‘Erin Purcell’

Not even the snowpocalypse will stop Brendan Hanrahan from running around the Capitol half-naked this Saturday. The sole director of the first annual Cupid’s Undie Run is devoted to his cause and the message he’s helping to spread here in the DC area.

Hanrahan moved to town a few years back and has been yearning for a way to apply what he left behind at home to his daily life. The end result being Cupid’s Undie Run.

This excuse for DC to take its pants off is more than a Sunday morning stroll to annoy Metro riders or a freak shortage of condoms during the biggest snow fall in DC history — for Hanrahan, it hits home. Cupid’s Undie Run benefits the Children’s Tumor Foundation, which is Hanrahan’s purpose for founding the Undie Run.

His best friend’s brother is his motivation to raise money for the cause. To him, this justifies all the effort put in to creating a new and exciting way to raise money for a cause in the nation’s capital.

‘Rowing team’
courtesy of ‘Hairy Jacques’

Now — DC has taken their pants off before, but not like this. “The first annual Cupid’s Undie Run — and we’re calling it the first annual because we are gaining a lot of support from sponsors for this AND next year already — is a good excuse to talk to people and get to know them the day before Valentine’s Day.”

What was it about Valentine’s Day that made an event designed for folks to run around in their skivvies so appealing? “I knew I wanted to do a scantily clad run,” Hanrahan said. “I thought I would get the most fun crowd out if I did it when it was cold, so V-day was a perfect fit.”

He was right.

The event has already sold out of t-shirts, making this new DC tradition a successful one before it’s even taken place. Runners can still register for a discounted price of $25. The registration fee gets you all day drink specials, post-race eats, and bar time in your undies.

Not into running? That’s okay! Stay warm inside of Pour House all day while the “parade of hot bodies” run around one of our nation’s beloved architectural icons. Either way, all the proceeds go to a good cause. So, no matter what you choose to do, any sort of participation in Cupid’s Undie Run is not only encouraged but is sure to be entertaining.

In-Person registration opens at noon at the Pour House, the run starts at 2. Be sure to wash your favorite pair of undies, you never know who you’ll meet!

Rachel Levitin

Rachel moved to DC in the fall of 2005 to study Journalism and Music at American University. When she’s not keeping up with the latest Major League Baseball news, she works on making music as an accomplished singer-songwriter and was even a featured performer/speaker at TEDxDupont Circle in 2012. Rachel has also contributed to The Washington Examiner and MASN Sports’ Nationals Buzz as a guest blogger. See why she loves DC. E-Mail: rachel@welovedc.com.