Santa Speedo Run
Saturday, December 15, 1:00 pm
Lir, 903 Boylston, Boston
Run goes down Boylston to Berkeley and back up Newbury
Official Site

For some reason, people are compelled to prove their strength by taking off their clothes in winter and running around, displaying their pasty, quivering flash to one and all. (Tufts, we're talking to you.)

But the people participating in the 8th annual Santa Speedo Run are stripping down to their skivvies for charity. Each participant should raise at least $250, and the money will go to Women's Lunch Place, where homeless women and children can stay during the day and get assistance with day-to-day concerns. The center also helps women find employment and housing.

We e-mailed Jon Ianelli of the Run to ask him for tips on how to tolerate the cold weather. He wrote back that it isn't too hard to run naked in the cold if the atmosphere is right: "A few beverages, the holiday and giving spirit, the volume of people doing it with you and the crazy desire to do something outrageous are all motivators for people." That and maybe a Santa hat.

Image from the Santa Speedo Run website.