My First Nudist Experience AND My First 5K

The medal I won and the free shirt that I got for running the naked 5K at a nudist resort. Oh, sweet irony.

As you should know if you read some of these blog posts, body acceptance is something I strongly value. I am really drawn to the nudist philosophy regarding the human body; that is to say that the human body is natural and not merely an object to be seen in a sexual lens. If I like being naked, why is that "offensive" or "indecent" if I'm in sight of others? I have for quite a few years now enjoyed "at home nudity", like when hanging out by myself, doing yoga, or sleeping, but never before have I shared this experience with others. This summer I have been training for a 10 mile race with one of my friends in August and so I wanted to do some 5K races (3 miles) to help me prepare. In my quest for finding 5K races in Michigan, I stumbled across one held at Turtle Lake Resort: a naked 5K. I like being naked. I like running. I like trying new things. This seemed like too much fun to pass up.

I was a little nervous when I arrived, but the staff were really cool. They took me on a tour of the facility in a golf cart (still fully clothed) with other first-timers, a man and a woman. The guide explained general etiquette and showed us where the buildings were. After the tour, I parked and just went with the flow. I stripped, grabbed my backpack and towel, and found a locker. It was a little weird at first, only because I have never walked around in public naked before, nor have I prepared for a race. There was still a mental red flag telling me I was out of my comfort zone. That feeling, however, went away right as the race began. I think it was just doing something normal for me that made it feel right. I run all the time, whereas I do not go to new places, do public races, and get naked in front of strangers all the time. Once I got past the initial "new experience" feeling I was very comfortable. After the run I talked to a few people while waiting for the award ceremony, all of whom were really friendly. I reconnected with the people I took the tour with. The man liked to do different nudist events throughout the country, and the woman was just like me: she was passing through this part of Michigan and was looking for a race, and saw a normal 5K and a naked 5K and just figured the naked one would be more fun.

I really liked the atmosphere as well. People were very friendly, but weren't overbearing. In other words, I didn't feel like I needed to join a group of people to fit in. I am a heavy introvert, and after all the socialness that took place after the race waiting for the award ceremony I just wanted to walk around, lie on the beach, and take a quick swim. It was very relaxing.

As a point of interest to some viewers, as a few of my friends asked about this, I will note that uncomfortable genital bobbing was not an issue. When men exercise blood is pumping to parts of your body that need it, causing less blood flow to the genitals. This combined with the coolness that comes from the wind hitting your sweaty body makes men experience shrinkage. While running for 3 miles with your genitals looking smaller than usual may be concerning to some (in which case, I wouldn't be going to a nudist event), it makes running naked more practical. As far as breasts bouncing, I can't really comment on that from my own experience. Most of the women were topless when running, but a few did opt for a sports bra.

I also enjoyed the race aspect as well. I did pretty decent. I came in 19th place overall (there were a little over a hundred participants) and won second place for my division (20-29 year-old males). My time was 24:21. Not too shabby for my first 5K.

My overall experience was great. I would like to make this naked 5K a regular thing for my summers, and may find myself returning this summer for a day trip to work on my tan some more. If social nakedness intrigues you, I would definitely recommend Turtle Lake Resort to give it a try. As far as racing goes, I think I will feel disappointed when I have to run future races with my clothes on.