ALBANY – Santa and speedos. Two words that really shouldn’t be in the same sentence. And forget about including “sprint” in the mix.
But they all came together for the 11th time on Saturday, Dec. 10, when scores of people braved the cold, stripped down to their skivvies – or just wore other seasonal (in)appropriate attire – and ran 400 meters up Lark Street and then 400 meters back down for the annual Santa Speedos Sprint.
Garb was not limited to speedos, or the Christmas spirit, however. Instead only by imagination, creativity and guts – of which there was no lack. Some were in pajamas, one was a robot, there was a snowman and many costumes fit no fixed definition.
But that’s part of the Santa Speedo charm.
The other part is everyone had a good time.
And the last part, the most important, is that all proceeds from the $25 registration fee are headed to the Albany Damien Center and the HIV/AIDS program at Albany Medical Center.
The photos below are by Jim Franco. Click on one to view a full size version of the rest.