Natural competition

Runners will shed clothes at weekend race

Published Thursday, April 24, 2008

By Brandon Evans

In the cold and windy winter months, oaks throughout the county lose their modesty and drop their leaves, revealing an assortment of naked and spindly limbs.

But as the seasons shift and daylight grows, the trees again don their latest green, spring fashions. Ironically, the warm weather compels many people to lose their clothing in varying degrees. And none drop their clothes faster than the racers at the 5K Skinnydipper Sun Run this Saturday at the Wildwood Naturist's Resort, located a few miles west of Decatur off Farm Road 1810.

"A lot of people try it on a dare or a whim," said Connie, Wildwood's manager. "Then they feel the freedom of running nude and the air on their body and are hooked. Some people are worried about body parts moving and vibrating. So some of our well-endowed women wear sports bras."

"Here, if you are wearing clothes in the race, you stand out," said Murry Conarroe, race director.

However, footwear is recommended for the cross country track.

Conarroe was one of the first to move to the Wildwood Resort. He's also been involved in the nude 5K since it was created 11 years ago.

"The 5K is our big event of the year," Connie said. "It is the big kickoff event for our season. And it is open to anyone willing to try."

The run at Wildwood is one of five races in a series held from April to October by the American Association of Nude Recreation-Southwest Region. Other races in the series are held in McDade, Poolville, Alvord and Depew, Okla.

Although running nude through spring pastures seems like a vacation from the norm, racers take the series seriously. Plenty of traditional runners take part in the race on the cross country track, located in the tree-covered hills and flower-filled meadows of Wildwood Resort.

"Year after year we have a high turnout for this race," said Gary Spalding, a Wildwood member and racer. "It is one of the better tracks out there. It's a true cross country track. It goes through meadows, hills and valleys. Stamina and endurance are just as important as speed."

The race draws up to 150 runners. Connie said some runners travel from as far away as Europe to participate.

"I get a great deal of satisfaction at finishing," Spalding said. "Our track is very demanding. At the end of the race I have a high. I'm not a medal winner, but I do enjoy running and staying in shape."

Spalding said Saturday is the perfect time to come to Wildwood for anyone curious about adopting or simply trying out a naturist's lifestyle.

"This would be the ideal weekend to come out because it is a clothes optional day," he said. "We encourage people to come see what we are all about. If you're comfortable, join us. If not, that's fine too. We don't try and force our beliefs on anyone."

Brief history of naturism

Naturism or nudism originated in Europe in the nineteenth century. The first naturists were rebelling against some aspects of industrialization and urbanization. The proliferation of factories, pollution and inner-city crowding were viewed as unhealthy and an unnatural course for humankind.

Groups formed in England, France and Germany to try a different type of lifestyle.

For vindication, they looked back to the open portrayals of nudity in classical Greece and Rome.

The early nudists argued for a return to a simple and healthy form of living.

Some of the early clubs enforced adherence to sexual abstinence, prohibited the use of tobacco and alcohol, imposed a vegetarian diet and had mandatory, daily calisthenics.

The first American nudist club opened in New York in 1929 by a German immigrant named Kurt Barthel. The early American clubs were much in line with the European versions. They promoted family values and prohibited alcohol at their functions.

But modern naturist's camps have become more mainstream than those in the past. Every year, millions of Americans take vacations to nudists' beaches. The restrictions of the early nudists camps have all but disappeared, but the yearning for a simpler, cleaner lifestyle still fuels many people's attraction to a nudists lifestyle.

"People accept you for who you are, not because you wear name brand clothing or a Rolex watch," Connie said. "You really get to the root of who people are."

The Wildwood resort offers a return to a simpler place and time.

"I grew up in a small Texas town," Connie said. "It feels like that out here. You know and trust everyone. It's something I like about being a resident out here."

But despite a growing acceptance of the nudist lifestyle, social stigmas still exist. Connie did not want to reveal her last name because she feared it might affect her professional career outside of Wildwood.

"It's the mentality of don't show yourself," she said. "Some workplaces are not friendly to this idea. For instance we get some school teachers here who are worried about being identified."

But despite stigmas and appearances, a band of approximately 150 nude, cross country racers prepare to let it all hang out as they run through Wise County's own little Garden of Eden this Saturday afternoon.

For more information on this weekend's race, go to http://www.skinnydippersunrun.com or call the resort at (940) 627-2280.