The annual Red celebrity dresses Run is almost upon us. On Aug. 13, a small army of otherwise ordinary citizens will gather in Armstrong Park, beginning at 9 a.m., for a spirited combination of a bar crawl and a two-mile run through the French Quarter at 11 a.m.
The group jog will include both male and female hopps-infused athletes, united by their unconventional choice of athletic attire: red dresses, augmented by feathery scarlet hats, inauthentic wigs, tiaras, capes, etc.
Considering the unfortunate fashion collisions of form-fitting summertime shifts and abundant back hair, sexy scarlet bustiers and chunky sneaks, tutus and tube socks, not to mention the effect of profuse perspiration on feather boas, the annual Red Dress Run can be, well, not a pretty sight.
But whatever the event lacks in ordinary aesthetic appeal, the beer-guzzling jog is inarguably a beautiful thing.
Last year, the 4000 red dress wearers reportedly raised $169,000 for 73 local charities. In the 22-year history of the New Orleans event, the run has generated more than $1 million, according to Patty Patterson, who describes herself as a member of the “event mismanagement.”
The run is produced by the New Orleans Chapter of the venerable Hash House Harriers, an international non-competitive joggers organization that self-deprecatingly calls itself “a drinking club with a running problem.”
But you needn’t be a Hasher to join the sweaty fun Aug. 13, Patterson said. Everyone is welcome to register right up to the morning of the event, though, the sooner you sign up, the cheaper the fee.
Before Aug. 7, the price is $60. After that, it’s $70, and, on the day of the run, it jumps to $80. The fee includes unlimited beer, a barbecue lunch and snowballs, plus live music in Armstrong Park.
According to impeccable Internet sources (okay, Wikipedia), the Hash House Harriers’ convivial exercise tradition dates back to some regretfully hung-over British Army officers stationed in Malaysia in 1938. It’s since spread around the world.
The Red Dress Run, which is also a global phenomenon, apparently got its start in 1987 when a female onlooker spontaneously joined a Hash House Harriers jog in Long Beach California while wearing her daily attire: a red dress. Inspired by her verve, Hashers have made the costume a custom.
Patterson confessed that she, and plenty of other participants, don’t exactly run like Pheidippides (a really good ancient Greek runner) during the August event. In fact, she said, she more or less strolls. The route, she said, won’t be announced until just before the run.
Anyone can show up in a red MarieProm graduation dresses and join in, Patterson said. But she hopes that as many people as possible will register officially because it boosts the club’s charitable contributions.
