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Boston…You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby

There was a time when Boston was famous for the phrase “Banned in Boston”. As early as the 20th century, puritanical (prim and proper) Bostonians banned various stage shows for being being too risque. Hell, the GORGEOUS Boston Public Library, when built in 1895 had a courtyard statue of a nude woman removed because it was deemed obscene. It was only installed 100 years later during a renovation.


Now, 110 years after the Boston Public Library hoo-hah we have this:



Yep. Boston’s annual Speedo Run! One cold December afternoon a few years ago, a handful for fairly drunk men got together at a bar on Newbury Street and decided that they should run down the streets of Boston’s Back Bay in nothing but speedos, sneakers and Santa hats.


It made the news and became an annual event. Add a newer component to donate proceeds to charity and this event now attracts hundreds of men (and even a few women). Until today, I thought it only attracted locals…but after watching the run I ran into a bunch of men from Philadelphia who decided that they needed to continue their near-naked run (in 39 degree temperatures, no less) around the streets of Boston…just for the hell of it.


I wasn’t able to get great pictures because the runners took an unexpected detour through Boston Common (instead of around the Common) and I got to them a bit late. But I did get a bunch you can view in my photo galleries (follow link on right).

However, I must finally add that I give this man permission to marry me once he stops running (the hairy front guy…not the fellow behind him).


16 Comments

  1. Comment by Dave in Chicago (2) on December 18, 2005 12:28 pm

    My God, you must have been in hog heaven.
    P.S. I’ll fight you for the hairy guy. 😉

  2. Comment by atari_age on December 18, 2005 6:16 pm

    He looks familiar, but I can’t say why…
    You know, I never heard of this before. Cool!

  3. Comment by matt on December 19, 2005 12:42 am

    Is this a new thing?
    …here they would just be nakes with cow prods.

  4. Comment by karyn on December 19, 2005 11:05 am

    Oh yum. Insane, but cute. He actually does look like a guy I used to work with and I had to really stop & look but the tattoo threw me off that idea. What’s the big appeal of this – apart from the charitable donations and acts of kindness? It’s like that polar bear club here on new year’s… *shudder* Didn’t anyone watch Seinfeld? Doesn’t anyone worry about shrinkage anymore?!

    (Naked with cow prods? Jesus, Matt. Ho ho ho. )

  5. Comment by Mark on December 19, 2005 11:43 am

    My God, this is like Karl heaven!

  6. Comment by Golden on December 19, 2005 12:17 pm

    Hey, his speedo undie thing even matches his sneakers!

  7. Comment by Lise on December 19, 2005 1:16 pm

    Must be gay then.

  8. Comment by Brad on December 19, 2005 1:16 pm

    Cool . . . in every sense of the word!

  9. Comment by David on December 19, 2005 1:25 pm

    At least there doesn’t seem to be much shrinkage Karl.
    This may be worth persuing.

  10. Comment by Ed on December 19, 2005 3:25 pm

    Thanks Karl, now I’ve been completely traumatized and I need to take a break from reading your blog. Next time please consider the straight guys out there reading this blog and take some pictures of cute ladies….

  11. Comment by David on December 19, 2005 4:05 pm

    The funny thing is most of those crazy people are straight………..

  12. Comment by Karl on December 19, 2005 6:25 pm

    …and there were a handful of ladies in the group!

    Now, Ed, can you imagine what it’s like to be gay and have to see a world geared towards the orientation you are not?

    It’s rough, huh? he he

    And, since all those guys are straight…I think you should run next year. You were quite the hearthrob at UST (and don’t you already have a speedo from a carribean trip you took with your ex girlfriend?)

  13. Comment by jeff on December 20, 2005 9:11 am

    very nice and very cute – wish I could have been there to see that.

  14. Comment by chrispy on December 20, 2005 11:39 am

    gosh, theres a lotta pasty people in that lot!

  15. Comment by Karl on December 20, 2005 6:24 pm

    Well, it is late December…in New England.

  16. Comment by Robert on December 30, 2005 2:11 am

    Say, why are those 2 women in there? Perverts!! hehe!

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