Outside the Usual Scope

9/24/2011 

Ready, Set, Go-Rilla

 

The sidewalks crawled with Gorilla Queens, Gorillas Gone Wild and Gorilla marketers. But it was more than monkey business as usual Saturday, when hundreds of people dressed in gorilla suits set off from a St. Paul’s side street.

A gorilla racer pikcs out his afro

The 10th Great Gorilla Run attracted 460 racers, raising more than £150,000 in entry fees and sponsorships for conservation and development projects in eastern Africa. People from around Europe and as far afield as Australia tackled the seven-kilometer Thames loop.

“It’s our biggest fundraiser,” said Jillian Miller, executive director of the Gorilla Organization, which hosts the event. “It’s a fantastic way, especially in recession, to have great fun and to raise a lot of money at the same time.”

Participants’ motivations varied for supporting the estimated 720 mountain gorillas remaining in the wild. Top female finisher Aeron Smith, 29, a language teacher, credited “getting to act stupidly and raising money for a worthy cause.”

Southbank International School Principal Terry Hedger, 63, pointed to his school’s conservation heavy curriculum. “We’ve got to practice what we preach,” he said.

Many, like Bournemouth Zookeeper Rachel Henson, 30, elaborated on their costumes. “I like gorillas and I like pirates,” she said, doffing a three-cornered hat and raising a plastic sword. “They might not be around much longer so we should save them while they’re still here.”

Samba-fusion band Barking Bateria hammered out a soundtrack for the event in full gorilla attire, while television presenter and conservationist Bill Oddie added celebrity and a touch of comedy as honorary starter.

“There’s something strangely attractive about sweaty folks in black,” he said before firing the gun.

Oddie, 70, didn’t race, but joked he might create a sister event. “I’m thinking of starting the great gorilla lie down,” he said.

Gorilla Claus poses before the race start.

The turnout was not what the Gorilla Organization hoped – over 600 ran the race last year – but Miller said that given the world’s financial circumstances, the event was a success.

Top male finisher, Cambridge student Matt Hay, 20, agreed. “Anyway you can get publicity for [gorillas] is good,” he said.