WASHINGTON
Over a hundred men left their business attire at home for a slightly more unexpected look Tuesday evening.
The 17th Street High Heel Race saw thousands turn out in Washington D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood, Tuesday night, to watch men don the eponymous footwear, glitzy dresses, wigs and makeup for a 317-meter dash to the finish line.
This year’s runners donned a myriad of outfits, from politician to pop icon attire, including a disguise of First Lady Michelle Obama.
Regardless of the outfit, all racers had to wear high heels, at least two inches tall.
Jolene Sugarbaker, a self-described trailer park queen, said she has been participating in the run for, at least, the past ten years, and called it a "tradition in D.C."
"It’s so great because it shows pop culture too -- one year it was all Sarah Palins," she adds, referring to the former vice presidential candidate. "And this year you can see what was in the news, and what’s actually on the tip of everybody’s tongue."
For Bernadette, a first-time observer of the race, the experience of seeing the spectacle was a long time coming.
"I’ve been living here for nine years and I've never been here, so I had to come," she said, adding that her experience was "awesome. It was a lot of fun."
The event began in 1986, and has drawn progressively larger crowds of onlookers and participants since.
For the second time in the race’s history, runners could acquire official timing via specially made custom garter belts.
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