Naked Mile (event)

The Naked Mile, or Nude Mile, was an informal athletics annual event, held at the University of Michigan from 1986.

History

The mile run started as an unofficial dare, by a group of twelve athletics students, running along South University Avenue; the local police were alerted, followed the naked runners and arrested the running group. In the event's early years, the run was held to largely shock people.

By 1992 the event was more organised, and over two hundred male and female students took part. People were no longer shocked by the event being held, but spectators started to gather, and many women runners received unsolicited lewd remarks shouted at them.

By 1999 there were around 800 runners, with tourists, and TV news crews in the crowd. There were 10,000 in the crowd; by this year around 30% of the runners were women.

A race was held in 2001, with only about 50 runners, and arrests were made by the local police.[1][2]

The race has no longer been run due to increasing interest of an unsavoury nature.[3]

Event

The event took place around midnight at the end of the winter semester in mid-April.[4]

References
  1. Kassab, Elizabeth; Sprow, Maria (17 April 2001). "Naked Mile: Few Naked, No Mile". The Michigan Daily.
  2. Sprow, Maria (15 April 2003). "Officials take hands-off approach to Naked Mile". The Michigan Daily.
  3. Lucas-Myers, Gregory. "History Lessons: Baring It All". Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
  4. "May 06, 1992 (vol. 102, iss. 1) - Image 3". Michigan Daily Digital Archives.
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