August 10, 2013

Race Bib

First off, Hashing (or the Hash House Harriers) is technically a running club (with chapters all around the world) but they pride themselves on drinking and having fun also.  It’s basically like another social club like the Moose Lodge or Lions Club, and just like those clubs.  Hashing began in Malaysia it seems as a way for friends to meet up on Mondays to run for exercise to counter all the beer they’d drink during the weekend.  Hashing groups quickly spread across the globe.

The Red Dress Run was started in San Diego a few decades ago after a female friend of a hasher decided she wanted to run with the group even though all she had for clothing at the time was a red dress.  The hashers liked it so much that they made an annual event out of it in San Diego and it quickly spread like wildfire around the globe especially when they decided to do it for charity.  Of course it didn’t take long for New Orleans to pick up on it.  What can you not do in NOLA???  The Red Dress Run has been an annual event in New Orleans now for the past nineteen years and now it has become the largest Red Dress Run in the world with easily 10,000 plus people participating.  Supposedly some 7,000 registered last year and it was estimated that more registered this year although the only count I saw said it was only 6,000 for this year.  But there are the so-called bandits, who show up and participate but don’t register.  There’s no way to stop them from being in the Quarter or being in the bars with the registered people, but there are some perks.  Sure, the hash got rid of the pub crawl with free beer in the bars because too many unregistered people were drinking the free beer.  So now bars have specials for everyone involved.  The event itself is now blocked off in Armstrong Park north of Rampart Street and you have to be registered to enter.  Once inside, there is actual free beer, free food and free music from some pretty awesome bands: Dash Rip Rock and Cowboy Mouth.  So people on the outside really did miss out on a lot more fun.  It’s kinda of a shame that people won’t pay because first off, it’s for charity.  Not to mention you do get free beer, free food, free toilets and awesome entertainment.  Just pay up dammit!  At least the registered people get to see Cowboy Mouth and get to wear their race bib for the rest of the day that way people don’t look at us funny for wearing a red dress just to stand in the Quarter all day.  I had a reason.  Did you?  Haha.

Start

Concerning the event itself, first off, packet pickup was sort of a mess.  You had to take a cab or drive to the Fairgrounds and find your way around it to get to the pickup area.  Then the lines got really confusing.  You had to get into one line to get some paperwork and one initial, then move all the way across the room to another line to get another initial and your bib and bracelet.  Then you had to zig zag around the room to these various stations to get beer tickets, free gifts, haberdashery items to buy, and yet another line for beer itself.  It was like a medium size long hall way with X lines zig zagging across the middle of it for each line.  I’m afraid that made little sense, although supposedly it’s because of the strict Over 21 policy, to verify that there is noone underage.  My thought though is that once I get the packet and bib and bracelet, couldn’t I just give this to my 19 year old cousin in the parking lot and let him race and drink in my place?  I mean, at the event itself, there was no real verification except for checking to see if you got your bib and bracelet.  I think they need to correct that for next year.  Otherwise, the trip up and back was painless and we even won $15 while at the small casino there.

a cheer squad

Friday night in the Quarter, I found a red sequin cap that I decided to buy because I realized that even though I had the outfit finally, I didn’t have any accessories to bedazzle it with.  Haha.  So as I was checking out with the hat, the guy at the counter knew exactly why I was buying it and said that a lady had come in earlier and bought three or four of them, I guess for a group.  So anyway, I was proud that I had something now to bedazzle my outfit with, and I’m glad too because the next day I saw accessories galore, and many of them on the guys.  Haha.  I did change outfits twice.  Now I see what girls have to go through.  The first dress I bought I ended up hating because it really didn’t fit well at all.  It was just, blah.  I gave that one away and I’m glad too because it turned out not to hold water well at all (because it rained hard right after the run), so it was a pain to dry out.  It didn’t look fun to run in.  So I forgot where I had seen it but I decided to go for a more elastic outfit and found a full red cheerleader uniform that actually fit perfect, was short enough to reduce chaffing (because up until this point I had intended to run) and it surprisingly resisted water very well so I didn’t sweat in it or get soaked during the rain storm.  So I think I made a great decision.  Of course, it felt odd at first especially since this was my first Red Dress Run and I had no idea what to expect, but after running into more red dressers, it actually was way more comfortable than many of the other things I saw.  At least I had full coverage.  Haha.

The next day, Saturday morning and downtown, we wake up later than planned but still early enough.  Supposedly beer is tapped at 9am.  I’m not sure what else they do there before the run itself.  No food is served until after the run.  No live music, but plenty of radio music anyway.  We didn’t leave the hotel until probably 9:45.  This probably isn’t a great idea elsewhere, but in New Orleans, it’s no big deal for women to dress really provocative and slutty and for guys to dress in their best tutu, prom dress or cheerleader uniform and walk thru the CBD and across Canal Street into the Quarter.  This really has become a huge event here.  Granted, we didn’t see many red dressers in the CBD but as soon as we got across Canal, they were everywhere.  By that point, I had already been called cute twice.  Wow, that really is a compliment.  No wonder women love to hear that.  Haha.

Armstrong Park

So we stop off at Tropical Isle, going and coming.  Going, it was around 10am or so and they had specials: Triple Crown and Sevens.  I had one and a half.  Goodness they were strong!  I ended up staggering to Armstrong Park, just in time really to start the run.  Needless to say, there was no running involved.  Sure, the runners left first, but at that point, I had no desire to run anywhere, otherwise I might have run myself into a parked car along St. Ann.  So I stayed with a friend and we staggered down St. Ann to Bourbon, stopping off at a few other places, including Oz.  I have to say, that was my first time there and I didn’t even realize where we were until well after we got in.  I’ve only heard about it from a girl at work, on many occasions.  Let’s just say she really really likes that bar.  Haha.

Float

So I guess it was around that point that I finally sobered up and we continued down Bourbon and into The Marigny.  This was wear we saw our first naked guy.  Jezus!!!  We found a pull behind wagon float that looked like the Eat Me Cake Float from Animal House and followed it for a bit before being distracted by more free beer, Red’s Apple Ale this time.  That stuff was good (first time drinking it).  We eventually made our way back to Rampart and back down to the finish line at the park.  We ended up walking the route, about 1.8 miles, in about 52 minutes or so.  Not bad for starting off feeling pretty drunk.

Party in the Quarter

Back at the park, there was free bbq, more beer, and then Dash Rip Rock started playing.  This is about when the rain started.  The canopies were full of people while everyone else either huddled under oak trees where we were or just said F-it and got soaked.  Eventually the rain ended and then we made our way over to the stage to listen to Cowboy Mouth.  They put on a very good show and I didn’t realize the singer was also the drummer.  I guess I did, I had heard, but I’ve never seen them live so I just never visualized it.  But they were excellent.  I hope they become a Red Dress Run tradition.  Needless to say, I’d definitely do this again.  The whole thing was crazy fun.  Who knew cross dressing could be so much fun.  LOL!