JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of runners will take their pants off for charity on Saturday when the annual Cupid's Undie Run takes over Jacksonville Beach.
Scantily clad people on the beach is nothing out of the ordinary at Jacksonville Beach, but these undie runners are baring almost all of it for a good cause.
"This event is personal for me because my son Connor has NF1," said Race Director Ken Linkous. "He was diagnosed at the age of 1, so I have skin in the game."
"It's an opportunity to get out of our comfort zone, not everybody like to run in their underwear. I didn't know how I was going to feel until I ran my first one and it's quite liberating," said Linkous.
The Cupid's Undie Run is a fun run and is "one mile-ish" in length.
Competitors don't need to run in their underwear, in fact, 2023 NF Ambassador and Fernandina resident Michele Holbrook plans to run in a tutu.
"I look very normal on the outside, but I'm not, I have over 100 tumors in my body, so I want people to know and be aware of what's going on," said Holbrook. "That's why we do this, why we do the Cupid's Run, it's not to be skanky, it's just to raise awareness for NF."
The Jax Beach run is one of 30 Cupid's Undie Runs across the United States this month. Over the years they've raised more than $20 million and their goal is to raise $2 million this year.
"There's real hope because in 2020 the FDA approved the first drug that actually shrinks tumors in people with NF," said Linkous. "The clinical trials continue to expand."
And those clinical trials will continue to expand while runners wear less on Saturday.
The Jax Beach Cupid's Undie Run event starts at noon at Lynch's.