Hundreds of people are expected to bare almost everything Saturday, Feb. 11, in Atlanta, but all for a good cause.

Cupid’s Undie Run is a 1-mile run held in 47 cities around the world to benefit The Children’s Tumor Foundation and neurofibromatosis research. Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body, causing blindness, deafness, learning disabilities and severe chronic pain. The Children’s Tumor Foundation is the world’s largest non-government organization dedicated to ending neurofibromatosis through research. Currently, no cure exists and few treatment options are available.

This year’s festivities begin at noon at Big Sky, 3201 Cains Hill Place NW, in Atlanta. The run starts at 2 p.m. and is open to people 21 and older.

Interested participants may register at cupidsundierun.org. Only a limited number of spots are available at each pricing level, which ranges from $25 to $55. Registration rates vary based on the number of people registered.

“It’s less of a run and more of a walk,” said Nicole Bryant, director of 3d Public Relations & Marketing, which handles the publicity for the run. “Participants walk or run the mile and then go back to the bar where there’s live entertainment and awards for people who have fundraised the most money.”

With the main objective to raise money for neurofibromatosis, organizers choose an underwear run because people with the disease can’t cover up their tumors.

“Running in your underwear in February is uncomfortable, right?” Bryant said. “Well, that’s only a tiny fraction of what people affected with neurofibromatosis go through every day.”

She said if participants can make themselves uncomfortable for one day, they experience a sense of what those with neurofibromatosis go through, even if it’s a bit unorthodox.

“At the end of the day, being able to empathize gives you a kind of reward that money can’t buy,” Bryant said.

Cupid’s Undie Run co-founder Chad Leather started the event seven years ago in Washington, D.C. His brother, Drew, was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at
age 16.

This kind of link between organizers/participants and patients is not rare. Many national team members for Cupid’s Undie Run and most volunteers are connected to neurofibromatosis through a son, daughter, brother, sister, mom or dad who has it, Bryant said.

Since its beginnings, Cupid’s Undie Run has grown each year by expanding into more cities.

Last year, about 400 people took to the streets of Atlanta and bared winter temperatures in their underwear. According to Accuweather, temperatures in mid-February in Atlanta average in the 50s.

Guests are encouraged to wear their underwear, but participants often wear costumes or other clothing they are comfortable in, Bryant said.

“It’s a super fun excuse, and one of the only times you can run around the streets in your underwear,” she said. “And you’re also raising money for a good cause.”