Annual “Naked Man Run” takes place even as windchills reach the negatives

“Naked Man Run” participants dash through the snow around the “Son of Man, Be Free” statue in the quad.

Photo credit: Nora Betts

By Nora Betts

Managing Editor

In snowy weather with a -17 degree windchill, around 25 students and one professor stripped down to minimal clothing and sprinted across campus for the annual Naked Man Run on the night of Feb. 12.

The Naked Man Run celebrates the first significant snowfall of the year and is named after the “Son of Man, Be Free” statue in the quad, nicknamed “The Naked Man.” Several inches of snow coated Concordia’s campus on Wednesday, so this year’s organizer, sophomore Timothy Dose, quickly spread the news about the event.

Participants took off running from Dorcas Hall just before 10:15 p.m., did several laps around the Naked Man statue, made snow angels in the fresh snow, and returned to the warmth of the dorm.

Adjunct Faculty in Music Paul Soulek was the lone professor who participated. He said that Dose and other students in Male Chorus convinced him to join the Naked Man Run, something he did not do when he was a Concordia student.

“It was my students who were really excited about it today,” Soulek said. “I decided that since I never did it when I was a student two decades ago, I had to do it now. And it was worth the wait. It was invigorating, it was challenging, and it was inspirational.”

Participants in the Naked Man Run wore different levels of clothing, varying from a shirt and shorts to only underwear. Some wore socks or shoes while others went barefoot.

“I do recommend people wear shoes, which I did, but some people did not and apparently the ground is very cold and feet are very red afterward,” said Soulek.

“You can probably wear socks because you might cut yourself,” Dose said after the event, pointing to his bleeding foot. “It was me who absolutely destroyed my feet, but overall it was a great experience.”

Sophomore Jason Church said he enjoyed last year’s Naked Man Run so much that he decided to brave the cold and do it again.

“At 9:30, I was like, ‘This was such a good time last year. Like, if I don’t do it, I’m just gonna feel like I missed out and I’m gonna feel sad,’” said Church. “And I’m so glad that I came.”

Freshman Alyssa Heimann bundled up to watch the event from the quad and show it to her friends over FaceTime.

“My friends were shocked they actually did it.” Heimann. “I told my friends, ‘Right now holding this phone with no gloves, I’m freezing.’ I have no idea how they’re doing it.”

Senior Jacob Huber said the Naked Man Run is an event that builds camaraderie on campus.

“This, too, is included in the Concordia experience,” said Huber.