Letting it all hang out: Runners compete in 18th annual Kona Underpants Run

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There were boxers, there were briefs and everything in between, with enough skin on display Thursday morning to make a modest person blush at the 18th annual Kona Underpants Run down Alii Drive.

There were boxers, there were briefs and everything in between, with enough skin on display Thursday morning to make a modest person blush at the 18th annual Kona Underpants Run down Alii Drive.

Runners stretched all the away across the street for nearly a quarter mile as the race once again had more than 1,000 participants and nearly as many spectators. This year’s 1.5 mile race started and finished in the back parking lot of the Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, with a turnaround at Uncle Billy’s

The Underpants Run was first concieved in 1998 by Chris Danahy, Tim Morris and Paul Huddle as a protest against wearing Speedoes in inappropriate places such as stores and restaurants. Over the year, the race has morphed into an Ironman prerace event and local fundraiser. The Underpants Run has raised over $240,000 for local charities, not including this year.