How the Houston Hot Undies Run Raised $9000

Carissa with Undies Run Poster

This entry was written by Roxanne Thomas.

The inspiration for the Houston Hot Undies Run came from a fellow CTF supporter named Chad Leathers. He helped organize Cupid’s Undie Run in DC back in February. When I saw Cupid’s Undie Run on the NF blog, I thought, “Wow! That looks wildly fun and a little bit crazy!”

How did our Hot Undies Run come to be in Houston, Texas? My daughter and I are an NFE “team”. Carissa is a 5th year graduate student in the MD/Ph.D program at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In the fourth largest city in the country, we hoped there would be many people who would agree that an undie run sounded wildly fun and a little bit crazy. I called Carissa and she loved the idea.

Our next step was to find sponsors. Carissa and I are members of Brian O’Neill’s (BON) Running Club in Houston. BON Running Club’s president Dave Lee, and Brian O’Neill’s Irish Pub loved the undie run idea and enthusiastically agreed to host, sponsor, and help us organize the event. We were fortunate to be chosen as one of four charity events they organize each year.

The inaugural Hot Undies Run took place on August 21, 2010. The 2-mile, non-competitive course was run in a 110-degree heat index, but that didn’t stop 500+ participants from coming out to support the Children’s Tumor Foundation. The undies theme was embraced with a wide variety of undies and creative accessories. Many groups competed for a “Best Dressed Group” prize. Two other pubs along the route joined in on the fun with “hydration stations”. At one point, a fire department crew cruised by and noticed the run. They stopped, and all the firemen got out to cheer on our runners!

The runners really enjoyed a great after-party with music, food, drinks, and raffle prizes. One of the most touching moments was meeting two young ladies and one young man in their own NF jersey and CTF t-shirts who came out to walk the event with our runners. All three had an NF touch in their lives.

Creative costumes on the course

Carissa and I had never organized an event before, but we were able to raise over $9000 for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. We were so fortunate that many people jumped in to help us. (Especially Dave Lee, with his experience organizing races.) Organizing an event of any kind does take a lot of time and energy. The pre-event jitters can certainly compare to, or top, pre-race jitters! If you can, share your fundraising idea with someone who is experienced, can work with you, and help you learn. Carissa and I couldn’t have done this without the many people, sponsors, and volunteers who helped us.

We are grateful for all our NF Endurance team members who support and empower each other by sharing ideas and working together towards ending NF, rather than just living with NF. We are very glad that Chad Leathers and his friends shared their idea and truly appreciate the always supportive and fun staff at NF Endurance, who keeps us all running strong.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and the hearts in Houston were especially big that day!

Roxanne and Carissa Thomas

See more pictures at:

http://mynfenduranceteamphotoblog.shutterfly.com/