UPR: It’s Kona vs Utah
The Guinness Book of World Records maintains that the unlikely town of Salt Lake City played host to the largest ever aggregation of underpanted runners, in 2011. 2,270 of them.
Salt Lake City folk insist the number is larger – that they broke their own record last year. Salt Lake City's run isn't being held this year. The Utah Undie Run, organized to demonstrate that Utah isn't the uptight place everybody thinks it is, exposed Utah as the uptight place everybody thinks it is, through the roadblocks organizers faced in obtaining this year's permits (according to one of the organizers).
The driving force behind the Utah Undie Run, a nightclub owner in Salt Lake City, finally said "fudge it" and moved to Hawaii. Which is where we find ourselves now, awaiting the Thursday, October 9, attempt to crack uptight Utah's underpants record.
Ironically, one of the event's organizers, Paul Huddle – aka Mrs. Newby Fraser – owns a home in Utah, just up the mountain from Cedar City, which is even uptighter than Salt Lake City. Or less uptight, depending on how you view the broadening of the concept of the nuclear family.
So, maybe there's just something about Utahans that causes them to want to run around outside wearing not very much.
The photos herein (click on the upper left thumbnail) are from previous Kona Underpants Runs. This event is an annual fundraiser first "contested" in the mid 1990s. While apocryphal, and from memory, the first Underpants Run made fun of certain Northern European types who'd roll their shopping carts around Pay 'n Save in their brightly colored Kenny Souza cut race briefs, oblivious to Kona residents' raised eyebrows.
Event founders Roch Frey and Paul Huddle, famous in multisporter for a number of reasons, showed up dressed in their undies sporting accents vaguely reminiscent of SNL's Hans and Franz in a last ditch effort to get their points across to oblivious skivvie-clad shoppers.
Whether the point was ever made is unknown. What is known is that triathlon, and Kona, and the Ironman, and the reputations of each, is on the line.
Follow the links below for additional photos of the 2013 and 2012 editions of the UPR.
[An earlier version of the text above incorrectly stated a Utah resident bought all the race Utah Undies Run's t shirts. Rather, that resident bought another, different supply of t shirts deemed by that resident indecent.]
Helicopter shot of the start (or, maybe it's just from across the street, 2nd story).
Huddle (Franz, or is it Hans) barking orders.
The Wattie Girls. Who wouldn't like his own Wattie Girl?
Roch Frey having his resolve tested by Wattie Girls. Judged by his power meter, he passed.
8-time Ironman champ PNF still has a killer body, even at the age of 73. So, she needs to bare more this year.
This man has the best nutrition plan of all Underpanters.
Speaking of pasties, this lady obviously has Ironman spirit.
The Underpants run is no respector of persons. Or even species.
If you run, this is what you have to look forward to. Literally. You look forward. To this.
There is no minimum age for the Underpants Run.
You still have time, before you get to the island, to shop for a kit that is the essential you.
I can't swear, but these people look like Sian Welch, Tony Richardson and Janet Wendle.
The other side of the Wattie Girls.
Huddle, in the lead for now. With his hat on. Nice Utah touch.
The podium.
And, of course, the obligatory race poster.
