More than one hundred nearly-naked University of Wisconsin-Platteville students and alumni gathered in Heritage Hall to prepare for the Nearly Naked Run at 7 p.m. Thursday.
People who participated in the half-mile charity run around campus were encouraged to wear as little as possible while still remaining swimsuit apropriate. With the temperature reaching eight degrees, participants took their marks outside the Markee Pioneer Student Center and completed a full circle of the UW-Platteville campus.
Runners were asked to donate gently-used clothing at the event. Donations collected were distributed to Family Advocates, Grant County Homeless Coalition, Social Services and the Women’s Shelter.
Participants had the option to register for the Nearly Naked Run either as an individual or as part of a team. They were judged on the amount of clothing they donated, the team name and team spirit.
Best costume went to John Gutzman, president of the Agribusiness Club, whose team was made up of club members. He won 25 UW-Platteville dining dollars for his outfit of cut-off blue jean shorts, boots and a hard hat.
“I thought it would be a fun way to get the Agribusiness Club’s name out and have positive public relations for the organizations,” Gutzman said.
The best team name went to “Shiver Me Timbers,” a group made up of four Alpha Zeta members. Cassie Blatz, Rebecca Gunderson, Emily McCoy and Sarah Silver brainstormed ideas and searched online to come up with their team name. They received free subs from Jimmy John’s and pizza from Pizza Hut as a token to their creativity.
The Nearly Naked Run was organized by UW-Platteville Foundation Event Coordinator Katie Friar, the Student Ambassador Corps and the Alumni Association. It was sponsored by Jimmy John’s, Walgreens, Pizza Hut and the UW-Platteville Dining Services.
Friar said she was pleased with the turnout of participants.
“We will definitely be doing it again next year,” Friar said.
Visit uwplatt.edu/foundation/ for more information on the UW-Platteville Foundation and its events.
