Glen Raines’ loincloth is surprisingly sturdy.
He sewed it himself, using tan-colored faux-fur fabric from a hobby store near his home in San Diego. It has an inner-pouch for support and is quite breathable, in part because it’s styled like a thong in the back. It’s fastened together by a small Velcro strip on the side that has yet to come undone, despite sweat or fluttering breezes or the outreached hands of overzealous marathon spectators.
Runner’s World Newsletters Boston Marathon, that tiny hand-sewn piece of fabric precariously secured around his deeply tanned frame was an essential part of a costume and running alter-ego Raines has created named, “Barefoot Caveman.”
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“Because what do you do if there is a wardrobe malfunction in the middle of the marathon?” Raines told Runner’s World the day after he finished in 3:40:43.
Raines became a viral sensation the evening of the race when a photo of his finish . He’s seen fist-bumping another runner, hair billowing behind him, with that expertly placed loincloth firmly intact.
In real life, Raines is a 50-year-old software engineer from southern California. But in five races over the past six years, he’s decided to ditch his usual singlet and get into character.
“I have the caveman look and I run barefoot, so it's perfect,” Raines said. “It really, truly is a blast to wear it.”
He debuted the costume at a local race in 2011. The getup is actually quite elaborate, considering the minimal amount of material he wears.
“I wanted to make it as authentic as possible,” he said. “I used an arm band made from the same material as the loincloth to hold my phone.”
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One of the necklaces he wears is made from an animal bone found by one of his friends on a trail. The other, Raines admits, “is more interesting.”
“It’s made from bones from my husband’s mouth,” he said. He is totally serious.
The abnormally shaped white pieces of the necklace were surgically removed from his husband’s gums a few years ago due to growths called tori. Raines kept them to add to his costume.
“My husband was quite honored,” he said, while laughing. “Why did I keep them? They are quite interesting looking bones.”
Raines’ commitment to the character extends beyond the costume. He said that during races, including this year’s Boston Marathon, he frequently releases a caveman-esque cry as he passes water stations.
Glen Raines’ loincloth is surprisingly sturdy. : Have the latest news, advice, and inspiration sent to you every day with our Runner’s World Newsletters.
“People go bananas,” he said. “One of the things I love about wearing this getup is that it motivates other runners. It builds this bubble of energy.”
Published: Apr 21, 2017 6:54 AM EDT.
“Yes, even a caveman needs his lube,” Raines said. He had to apply a generous portion of Vaseline in the closing miles of the race. “And I wasn’t shy about it either."
After finishing, Raines did not have to hunt or gather for his postrace meal—though, naturally, he does maintain a Paleo diet. Instead, he said he enjoyed a rather un-prehistoric celebration: three gin martinis.
Kit has been a health, fitness, and running journalist for the past five years. His work has taken him across the country, from Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, to cover the 2016 Olympic Trials to the top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine to cover Scott Jurek’s CA Notice at Collection in 2015.
