Lunchtime crowds were treated to a brief spectacle on Thursday as teams of runners wearing oversized underwear ran an obstacle course outside the Vancouver Art Gallery to raise awareness about cancer of the nether regions.
The event, put on by the B.C. Cancer Foundation, marked the kickoff to the Underwear Affair, an annual fundraiser and awareness campaign for cancers below the waist like prostate, ovarian and cervical cancers.
Talking about these types of cancers is still considered taboo among some families, so they often receive less attention and funding, said Monika Deol, member of the B.C. Cancer Foundation Board.
“The Underwear Affair aims to lift these taboos with a fun approach to fundraising,” she said.
“(The event) not only raises awareness, but provides important new funding for research into all these cancers,” added B.C. Cancer Agency medical oncologist Hagen Kennecke.
Participants don costumes and often underwear over their clothing for the five-kilometre walk or 10-kilometre run.
The fifth annual event will take place on July 10 in five Canadian cities, including Vancouver.
