The Red Dress Run

There is something exciting about discovering a city for the first time. You never know what to expect on the next corner. Strange sights. Beautiful freeze frames. Or just plain hilarious moments. Yup, downtown Montreal didn’t disappoint in that respect.

It’s not every day that one gets to see a horse wait patiently at a traffic signal. Wedding guests dressed in their brightest and best, willing and more than happy to pose for you. Or men walking and running around in red dresses like it was the current fashion rage.

Strange as they looked, these men had absolutely no issues. Sure, they got the stares and laughs from all of us bystanders as they ambled through the street, having a merry time while about it. It was only later in the evening, once back in the comforts of my hotel room, and with wi-fi access, that I was able to better understand what it was all about.

A quick check of Doctor Google threw up some interesting facts and a bit of history on the Red Dress Run. (Reminder to self: stop calling it that Doctor. Maybe Professor. That’s got a nice ring to it.) 

Turns out, on the 7th of August 1987, a lady wearing a red dress alighted from a plane somewhere in California to visit a friend. In no time at all, she was introduced to the Hash House Harriers. They weren’t very welcoming initially. She wasn’t going to have any of it, and so decided to participate. Red dress, heels and all that. The group made amends though. They sent her an air ticket to attend the very first ‘Red Dress Run’ the following year. It’s then that she suggested that the club hold the event annually, to help raise funds for local charities.

It’s since become an annual feature, spread across different cities around the world, where women and men dress up in a red dress and either walk or run to help raise funds for charity. Interesting the kind of stuff that you can learn sitting for a few hours surfing the Internet, huh!

Look who’s laughing now! I’m not.

From the East Coast to the West Coast, why not go on an epic road trip that must surely count as one of the best – from Vancouver to Whistler on the Sea-to-Sky corridor.