I wish I could write as fast as I run! 😀 Here is the exciting news (almost 3 weeks later…), that yours truly came in 3rd in the naked 7k trail race and got the second prize in his age category! (With the time of 30:38.)
I already announced it earlier and was looking forward to participating in my first ever naked race.
What I find particularly encouraging, that this event wasn’t organized by a naturist organization (Pretzel City Sports for American Cancer Society), which indicates that people in general are open to the idea! But it was hosted, however, by a naturist resort Sunny Rest. It’s a very spacious place with all kinds of accommodation provided, from tenting to [almost] mansions. There are tennis courts, pool, beach volleyball field and pretty big section of the forest with the so-called Nature Trail, where the race took place.
We took advantage from arriving one day in advance and went for a walk to see the trail.
There is a wigwam with some kind of cute folk art.
Parts of the trail go through dense rhododendron bushes that create tunnels.
And the season of their blooming was just starting.
At some point there was a bifurcation for an ‘Easy’ and ‘Hard’ trails, and after some consideration we went for the hard one, of course.
Well, there were a few parts of quite steep up- and downhill trails, but nothing too demanding, most of the time it was rather flat. All trails are also clearly marked, so it would be unlikely to get lost.
We loved those parts of the forest where the floor was totally covered by ferns, which created a sea of green.
Other areas were covered by peculiar clubmosses, which aren’t mosses at all but ancient relatives of ferns.
After we came back from the hike, we saw a bouncing bunny at the lawn and thought it was a sign of luck 😉
Then we had a naked dinner at the restaurant by the pool. Unfortunately, they close the main kitchen early (by 9pm), so we could only order from limited menu which was mostly fast-food. We went to check out the dance club afterwards, but to our dismay, we (3 persons) found ourselves to be the only ones naked. We couldn’t understand why there was such a change in attire by the night, as it was definitely warm enough to stay naked, especially when dancing. But some women even wore evening dresses and high heels – definitely overdressed for a naturist venue!
… after a quick breakfast next morning, it was time for some stretching with the new friend from Brazil who came not only to run but also write about the event for a Brazilian runners magazine.
Then we warmed up by running forth and back around the start/finish line 😀 (this was the only part of the race that was on asphalted road)
and the time for the race came! There were about 150 participants, the record number for this race, and many of them seemed likes pro runners. So it came to me as a surprise that I finished third. This year, I haven’t been jogging this year much (just a couple of times in early spring), so although I do many other sports, I wasn’t sure at all about my running performance. But I think I knew and used some tricks that might have helped me, I’m planning to write about it soon in a special post about running.
After finish, there were refreshments and snacks, and a ceremony for winners by the pool – very good idea!
I also befriended the guy who got the third prize in our age category, and as if the race wasn’t enough we played badminton on one of the lawns. I guess we still didn’t feel the pain… it came only the next day! But in any case we were very cheerful at the moment.
Bouncing Buns it was indeed!
Active Naturists 