KONA, Hawaii (AP) – Athletes competing in the famed Ironman World Championship are baring a lot for a good cause.
Nearly 1,000 athletes stripped down to their underwear for a charity run Thursday on the Big Island, an annual tradition before Saturday’s race.
The 14th annual Underpants Run started as a community joke in response to European athletes strolling around town in Speedos. It has grown into a favorite pre-race distraction and fundraiser for local nonprofit organizations, including Special Olympics.
They ran for a little more than a mile, stopping traffic, and ended with some group calisthenics at Kailua Pier.
Eight-time world champion Paula Newby-Fraser helps organize the run.
She doesn’t know yet how much money was raised. Organizers took donations and also sold T-shirts and raffle tickets for a standup paddle board.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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