Streakers in Sneakers: Join Cupid's Undie Run This Weekend in Scottsdale for a Good Cause

It’s time once again to grab your garters and slip on your skivvies for Cupid’s Undie Run happening in Scottsdale on Saturday, February 4. This annual event is now in its 13th year and has raised nearly $21 million nationally since its beginning. The local chapter has broken its record already and continues to climb.

“Last year, in Phoenix, we raised an amazing $10,600 for The Children’s Tumor Foundation,” Tammie Gineo, Event Director of Cupid's Undie Run Phoenix, tells Phoenix New Times. “This year, we have already topped that with $16,500 raised and we aren’t done yet.”


The 21-and-over charity run is taking place in 30 cities across the country. Additionally, it is the official event of the Children’s Tumor Foundation. All of the net proceeds go to funding neurofibromatosis (NF) research. Gineo says that NF affects one in every 3,000 births, “which is about 2.5 million people worldwide. Anyone can be born with it, and it affects everyone differently. NF can lead to blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, disfigurement, learning challenges, disabling pain, or cancer. There is no cure yet.”

Gineo has a personal attachment to the cause. She says she had never heard of NF until she saw her friend Heather Frazier post about it on social media. Frazier's son, Ryan, was diagnosed with the disease at 6 months old.

“He has been a little fighter who has numerous tumors throughout his body; however, he has one very long complex tumor called a plexiform neurofibroma. It's in his head, neck, shoulders, and upper chest. It presses and wraps around his carotid artery. He suffers from hearing loss in his left ear, sleep apnea, and asthma to name a few symptoms. He endures MRIs every four to six months and at the age of 11 has undergone 23 MRIs already. In March 2022 he started his second round of chemo,” Gineo says.

Moved by her friend’s post, Gineo decided to participate in The Cupid’s Undie Run herself in 2019. “I Googled to see if there was a local event and there sure was,” she recalls. “When COVID happened, there was a pause to the event. In 2021, it was brought back virtually, and last year they were looking for a new event director. I couldn't miss the opportunity of doing my small part in making a difference to help one day find a cure for Ryan and all those other families who are affected by this disorder.”

As the name implies, participants in the Undie Run are encouraged to dress down for the event, namely into their unmentionables, which can be anything from long johns to lingerie, but most of all, have fun with it.

“This is a charitable party!" says Gineo. "Go nuts with your undies, onesie, or costume, go let that hair down, but don’t go all thong, pasty, or nude on us. Remember, it's for the kids — we just hope they aren’t watching.”


Organizers say the run will begin at 2 p.m. and traffic won’t be interrupted when it starts on the sidewalks in front of the Well Bar on North Scottsdale Road. The course winds through a few nearby residential blocks and ends back at the Well Bar.

“As we strip down to our underwear, enjoy some sunshine and liquid courage, run or walk a mile-ish, we have to remember why we are doing this," says Gineo. "We are doing our small part in raising money and awareness for neurofibromatosis.”

Cupid's Undie Run is on Saturday, February 4 at The Well Bar located at 2623 North Scottsdale Boulevard, from noon to 4 pm. Registration for either in-person or virtual participation is $45.

For those who cannot participate, you can donate to the cause by way of the organization's website.