It’s February 23rd, just another Saturday on Ohio University’s campus, when suddenly, a stampede of half naked students sprints from Baker to State Street. Some may question their sanity and wonder if this is reality, but that is not the case. This is Bare on the Bricks.
For those who are unaware, the nearly naked mile that simultaneously acts as a clothing drive is in it’s forth year. This event, hosted by the Student Alumni Board and Phi Kappa Psi, is picking up popularity. Students who participate come fully clothed, then strip of what they have on to donate to charity.
“The first year, it was really a lot of just Student Alumni Board members and a couple of friends, ever since then we have just been doubling,” said Madisen Medley, President of the Student Alumni Board.
Along with the increase in participants, this fundraiser is collecting a significant amount of clothes to donate to shelters and schools in the Athens area.
“Last year we had around forty (trash) bags of clothes,” said Allie McRitche, Vice President of Philanthropy.
Jackson Lavelle, a junior who is a member of the Student Alumni Board, will be participating in the nearly naked mile for his second time.
“It was fun to do something with hundreds of other people that you would not get to do otherwise,” said Lavelle. “Everyone had an adrenaline rush; I remember it was piercing cold and I think that got everyone’s adrenaline high. And it’s pretty fun running down, everyone get’s really rowdy.”
Not only do the runners donate clothes, they also tend to get creative with their nearly naked attire. “There are some pretty promiscuously dressed guys, especially running down Court Street,” said Lavelle.
“One year we had this one guy who wore Mardi Gras beads, but we’re talking like hundreds of Mardi Gras beads, even the ones the size of softballs,” said Medley.
More surprising than the outfits, the members of the Student Alumni Board have been impressed with the generosity of the participants, but this event has had a lasting impact on the participants.
“As cold as we are running down Court Street that day, that’s how cold a lot of people are, and I think that’s eye opening for a lot of people.” Lavelle said.
In addition to the clothing donations, Bare on the Bricks takes the proceeds from the registration fees and donates them as well. Early registration for the event has already begun and is $10 per person and $100 for a group of ten or more people. On the day of the event (which will cost $12 to participate), check in and registration will begin at 11:30 a.m. The race will start at 1 p.m.
To hype the runners up, there will be a DJ as well as raffles and contests prior to the race. Once the race has concluded, the runners will get to warm up at an after party at The Pigskin. For those who are interested in participating in Bare on the Bricks, the nearly naked run for a cause is on Twitter (@NearlyNakedMile) and Facebook, at Bare on the Bricks. So go ahead and grab some friends and some old clothes and get ready to show some skin for a good cause.
Featured Image from naturallyengineered.com