It’s time to lace up those running shoes, or for the fashionably conscious, at least make sure you have a sturdy pair of heels. The Nashville Grizzlies bring their fifth annual Red Dress Rampage to the streets of East Nashville on Saturday, October 19.
The Red Dress Rampage, sponsored by Yazoo, began in 2009 in the Hillsborough Village and 12th Ave. South neighborhood. According to event co-chair Jon Glassmeyer, the inaugural Rampage had over 100 runners and last year’s event marked a pinnacle for attendance with 250 paid runners. Glassmeyer hopes that registration will top 300 this year.
Tough on and off the pitch, the Grizzlies’ Red Dress Rampage is just one of the ways the organization has flexes their philanthropic muscle when working in the Nashville LGBT community. Previous events have benefited the Belcourt Theater, Shelby Park and this year, the event benefits the Grizzlies themselves.
Registration for the 2013 Red Dress Rampage means helping the Grizzlies attend the 2014 Bingham Cup in Sydney, Australia. The Bingham Cup, named for 9/11 United Flight 93 passenger (and hero) Mark Bingham, is a biennial memorial tournament for the openly, gay Rugby player. A documentary chronicling the life of Mark Bingham, aptly titled The Rugby Player was shown at OutFlix Film Fesitval in Memphis.
The Red Dress Rampage is quite a unique event, according to Glassmeyer. “There’s not many events where you’ll find 250 men and women running through a neighborhood in red dresses,” he laughed. “Everybody really has a good time with their dresses, the stops and a little bit of exercise thrown in makes it a really good time.” The secret to Glassmeyer’s Red Dress success? “Goodwill. And never more than five dollars.” Knowing that $5 can go a long way at Goodwill, dress to impress because the Grizzlies will hand out awards at each of the stops along the way.
Registration for this year’s Red Dress Rampage is open now. For $40, runners will receive a Yazoo beer at each stop. While the full list of stops was unavailable at press time, runners can be sure the starting point, Beyond the Edge, will be packed when the race kicks off at 12 noon. With this much fun also comes a bit of responsibility: All attendees must be 21 or older on the day of the event to participate.
The rain or shine event is sandwiched between two away matches for the Grizzlies but those running will have their chance to catch the Grizzlies out of their dresses and in action when they host teams for back-to-back weekends beginning November 2.
To register for the 2013 Red Dress Rampage or for more information about the Grizzlies, click here.