Quote:
Originally Posted by swoboftw
I'm from Colorado, and I know some of the people who regularly do the pumpkin run, and I would actually like to request that noone go to the Boulder Pumpkin run to take pictures of it. The reason the police shut it down last year was that it became a big enough spectacle to be a public nuisance. If people go gaga over the pumpkin run, it wont happen anymore. People in Boulder often don't mind people seeing them naked, but being arrested for indecent exposure because people make a big deal out of it really sucks.
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I respect your opinion, as you do know some of the runners. However, with 400 running last year, it was a big deal even if no spectators had showed up at all. I mean, its a little unrealistic to place the blame on the spectators when its a foregone conclusion that 400 naked runners are going to attract a crowd. Portland's WNBR has so many riders now that the same thing may soon happen to it. But the police CAN step in and try to create order out of the chaos, rather than just try to shut down the chaos. This has happened with WNBR's in other locations. Had this run happened in Eugene, OR, for example, the police might have assisted with crowd control rather than arrest participants. So as a runner, who is your bigger enemy? Your point is well taken that photographers and other spectators can cause problems at these events, but if one does not cultivate support among the cops, no amount of spectator presence is going to matter. The cops will do what cops are trained to do among other things - make arrests. It is unfortunate what happened in Boulder last year and I don't know all the facts, but of the three parties involved, my guess is that the role of the spectators was of lesser significance than the other two. And finally - if you know before hand that you will have 400 running, do you really think you are going to be able to wish the crowds away? It just ain't going to happen, and the organizers should figure this into their planning just as they can figure that a pic or two of themselves may likely appear on the internet. Otherwise, please hold your run in a more secluded setting.....!
Klondike