Nude Running Champ Seeks 3rd Win in Land O' Lakes

The question nude running champ Whit Lasseter is asked most often: Does it hurt?

The answer, she said, is no.

Lasseter took up running about 4 years ago. She has won Caliente's Bare Dare 5K for the past two years. On Sept. 30, she will compete again, but this time for the title of national nude running champion.

This is the first year a national title will be awarded for the sport.

Training for a nude race is not much different than training for any other race, Lasseter said. In fact, the nudity isn't an issue at all.

"It's something totally natural, our bodies were created to move like that."

People are apprehensive about taking their clothes off in general, and especially about excersizing naked, she said. And at one time, she was one of them.

The 33-year-old mother of two owns The Facility, a gym in South Tampa, as well as Tampa Crossboot. Staying in shape is part of her job. But she was hesitant to take it all off at first.

"I'm not totally 100 percent happy with my body," Lasseter said. When she first started going to the resort, she worried about taking her clothes off. Eventually, she got over it.

"I get more eye contact there than anywhere else," Lasseter said. "People don't want it to be awkward." 

Running a nude 5K is something different to do, she said.

"There's nothing else like it around. It gets people out of their comfort zone."

See also: Nude Running Champs to be Crowned in Land O' Lakes