Students participate in area's first 'Undie Run'

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A group of about 2,000 UC Santa Barbara students and nearby residents was scheduled last night to participate in the first local “Undie Run,” an event where participants take off their clothes and run two miles through campus in their underwear.
On the surface the event appears to be another hedonistic college tradition, but according to organizer Kyle Kuhlmann, a graduate of San Diego State University, who has organized similar events across the country, it’s anything but.

He said the heap of clothing that the participants shed before the run will be given to a local charity.
According to the official UCSB “Undie Run” Facebook page, which has more than 2,100 members, the event is also about rebellion and a fun way to release stress during finals week.
“It’s about rebelling against the system that gave you and 8 a.m. midterm Friday morning. “It’s about feeling totally free and living the college lifestyle,” the Facebook page says.
Kuhlmann said similar “Undie Runs” in San Diego, the University of Texas and the University of Houston have been met with enthusiasm.
He said he got the idea from students at UCLA, where an annual “Undie Run” has occurred for years, but doesn’t include the charitable angle.
He said clothing donated at the last “Undie Run” in San Diego was given to residents who lost their homes during last summer’s wildfires.
At last night’s event, which was scheduled to begin at midnight at the Davidson Library, Kuhlmann said participants would take their clothes off there, then run about two miles through campus and Isla Vista before resuming their studies.
More information about the “Undie Run” is available at www.undierun.com.