The good news: You get a gorilla suit when you sign up for this 5.6-kilometer fun run, and you can keep it. The bad news: You must wear it when you’re running. But it makes for utterly unforgettable photographs. Frank M. Keesling founded the Denver Gorilla Run four years ago as a goofy fundraiser for the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund, founded by his mother, Ruth Keesling, and other supporters of the late primatologist Dian Fossey. The fund works with the governments in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to help both mountain gorillas and local residents via veterinary projects and other cooperative enterprises. For more information, go to and .
Have you got enough gorilla suits for the 2007 Gorilla Run?
A: We’ve got 300 new suits this year. The first year of the run, we ordered 650 gorilla suits in the large and extra-large adult size — that’s by Chinese standards, so extra- large is about right for someone my size — and then I had 250 made for kids in the 8 to 10 age range. After last year, we ran out of suits, so I had to order more.
And runners get to keep the suits as part of the registration fee?
A: They get to keep them after the run, and they are required to wear them during the event. We’ve tried to keep the suits as light as possible. Black hair woven into a mesh material allows for a little ventilation. But the chest and stomach, and the inside of the head are all made of rubber. We recommend that participants cut out the eyes, and make the mouth a little bigger, and cut a 6- to 8- inch vent in the back of the head so it’s easier to get air flow.
Do the runners wear the suits for the whole distance?
A: Yes. The only requirement I have for someone trying to be the first male or first female is that they have to keep the suit on, including the head. Other than that, this is completely built for fun. It does get hot. Last year, we had 15 people in gorilla suits swimming in the Platte, trying to cool off.
How much does it cost to be in the Gorilla Run?
A: For first-time adult gorillas, $150, or $75 if they’re little gorillas. On top of that, we’re asking runners to collect pledges with a personal goal of $300, which all goes to the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund.
What does the fund do with the money?
A: In the big picture, to a project we started through the university in Kampala, Uganda. The program teaches local Ugandans to become qualified wildlife workers and eventually veterinarians. The response has been tremendous. The current building, maybe 3,000 square feet, is too small for all the students. They’re holding classes outside until we can build a larger infrastructure with a laboratory, a library, a museum and lecture halls.
What’s it like to run in a gorilla suit?
A: Me, personally? I don’t run. I have yet to participate in my own event. We have a handful of runners who just walk over the start line, and cross the street to the Wynkoop Brewing Company to order a beer they produce for us called Silverback Smoked Porter. That’s how far they run.
