running modesty

Something that grosses me out just a bit is men racing without shirts. This may be due to a few unfortunate racetime encounters with big, sweaty, hairy, shirtless dudes, jostling me in a manner far too intimate for a race with strangers. Or a particularly potent memory of a man doing a pre-race stretch right in my face, his arms up to the sky, allowing me a close-up of underarm hair long enough to weave into braids. (For this I dread starting line-ups in the dark). I have noticed that at races, men of all shapes and sizes seem to have no compunction about sharing themselves with their neighbors, and in some pretty close quarters. When a friend of mine sent me this,
I had to laugh.

In a stunning coincidence, a few minutes later I was browsing the net for local races, and I came across the Hidden River Trail Streak. All sorts of questions came to mind, including whether it would be difficult to run without, um, support. I couldn't help but imagine the karmic justice if I could send some of those shirtless dudes over to this race, where they could fully express themselves.