Race Report: Great Drag Race 30/06/2012

On the morning of Saturday 30th June I awoke and decided to run a race, The race I chose

Post-race in Brueton Park

was the Brueton Park 5k parkun in Solihull at 9am. It was a cool, damp Saturday morning in which to run two laps around a pleasant park in the West Midlands along with 160 or so like-minded runners. However whilst this may have been the race I chose, another race happening that day happened to choose me.

A few hours after crossing the finishing line in Solihull, I arrived in Highbury Fields, North London ready to join the starting line-up for an entirely different kind of race. We parked up just around the corner from the large purple marquees signalling where the race was located. Although I was already in my race shorts, road shoes and Striders shirt I wasn't quite ready to race.

Pamela Anderson they ain't.

For you see this race wasn't any ordinary race. It was the Great Drag Race. 

The Great Drag Race is a spectacular annual fundraising event that aims to radically increase the public's awareness of prostate cancer. Hundreds of men of all shapes and sizes descend on London, where they each walk or run for 10.2km wearing a wig and a frock in order to drag the issue into the spotlight. That's one long stride for each of the 10,200 men lost to the disease each year. Prostate cancer is the biggest cause of male cancer deaths in the UK yet most people apparently don’t even know where the prostate is. And the amount of government funding allocated to curing this horrendous thing is, frankly, embarassingly crap. With The Great Drag Race, Prostate Action are cheekily taking a cue from the ladies who have done such a great job of raising awareness of their health issues – and if that means dressing as a lady to get noticed, we think it’s a small price to pay. All the money raised from The Great Drag Race is spent on prostate cancer research.

The big warm-up.

After a very nervous kit change I started my journey to the start line, As I walked past the tennis courts and play area full of children, I imagined my enhanced CRB going up in smoke. Around this moment I updated my Facebook status to something like "out of my comfort zone", a few people replied jokingly but the truth was I don't think I've ever been more nervous before a race. Part of me was dreading arriving at the park to find the race was one big practical joke. Or cancelled. Or full of men dressed much more conservatively than the outfit I had carefully planned over the previous few months.

Ah. Now. About the outfit. I apologise if the photos disturb you. To be truthful, they disturb me too. But if you are going to do something like this there's no point being half-arsed about it. In for a penny, in for a pound and all that. I'd chosen a nautical themed outfit with accessories by both Ann Summers and Paris Hilton. I'd even arranged to borrow a genuine Royal Navy Boatswain's call from an ex-Navy friend but stupidly I'd forgotten to pick it up. Probably just as well, afterall I wouldn't want to draw attention to myself.

With fancy dress: the devil is in the detail.

As I entered highbury Fields I was greeted by a STEPS song playing over the tannoy and then a very comforting sight hit me. I was not alone. I was just one of many, many, men dressed in drag. Some men dressed in very good drag. Some men dressed in very, very bad drag. But regardless, lots of men dressed as "ladies". There were a handful of exceptions of course, the female volunteers were dressed as men.

After a few words of thanks from the Prostate Action all the drag queens were lined up ready for an attempt at a genuine world record. The longest line of dancing drag queens. For this we had to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and dance for five minutes. It wasn't easy. The helium filled balloons that I had tied to my backside kept getting in the way of the chap to my left. Whilst the large pink flamingo wings of my much taller other neighbour kept thwacking me in the side of the head. We were led through the dance steps in a quick rehearsal and then the dulcit tones of Bonnie Tyler singing "Holding out for a hero" came through the tannoy. Five minutes later we were world record holders!

The race itself consisted of 10 laps of Highbury fields park. There was no chip timing or lap counting it was all left to each individual runner to ensure that they ran the correct number of laps. Some competitors ran, some tried to run (not easy in high heels) and some walked. It was a beautiful day, so much so that I actually got a bit of a suntan. Unfortunately it was around the straplines of my bikini top. I actually thought the amount of audience support would have been greater. There were a lot of supporters in the park itself, many of whom were enjoying the contents of the beer tent. But support from people not involved in some way with the race was sparse. Hopefully the organisers' ambition to build upon this event next year combined with the exposure in The Sun, Time Out and The Huffington Post amongst others will help this event grow in to a big, established event which gets the locals out in droves.

Carlsberg don't make running kit...

A small group of local children looked on bemusedly as we completed the first lap. One little girl shouted "I can see your belly". Four local men enjoying a quiet drink of something industrially strong and wrapped in brown paper on a park bench did a double take. The young man sitting under a tree enjoying a herbal cigarette stared as us, perhaps making a mental note to use a different brand of "herb" next time. One slightly dour looking man taking a short cut in front of some of the runners got the shock of his life when he got his bottom slapped and turned round to come face-to-face with three large drag queens who might well have been prop forwards by day.

Although I haven't run a 10k in a couple of years, it was still a bit of a surprise to cross the line in 42:51, which was a new pb for me. Apparently the key to running faster is 1) do an extensive warm-up 2) wear less clothes and 3) be massively self-conscious and desperate to get to the anonymity of the finish line.

Showing off the medal and a nice pair of balloons.

On crossing the finish line we were all presented with a very nice medal and from there it was a quick journey to the beer tent for an ice cold can of lager. There were prizes awarded to the fastest runner (38 minutes was the rather impressive winning time) and to the best dressed drag queen, but I forgot about those and had already skulked off back to my car to try and get a headstart on the make-up removal. Note for next year: there is a make-up tent where professional make-up artists will both apply and assist you in the removal of your mascara. You don't have to use face paints and a car wing mirror.

If you feel like taking part in a similar event, may I recommend the "Dame For A Laugh" 5k walk in Middlewich in aid of St. Luke's Hospice - click here for more details. I would join in but it turns out I'm already doing another race that day...

The bling.

I'm hoping to return next year when the organisers have set themselves the ambitious target of 1000 participants - and hopefully another world record.

For more information about the Great Drag Race and more importantly how to show your support for Prostate Action, visit their website.

Michael