WASHINGTON — A longtime D.C. tradition, and one of the most unusual Halloween celebrations you’ll see anywhere, shut down several streets near Dupont Circle Tuesday night.
The annual 17th Street High Heel race features mostly men dressed in fantastic drag costumes who parade up and down part of 17th Street in Northwest before racing each other in heels that are required to be at least two inches high.
“I’m the two-time defending champion actually, so I’m going for a three-peat this year,” William Dennis, also known as Inertia Dolce, told WTOP before the race.
He was dressed as Japanese anime character Sailor Moon.
“Hopefully none of these girls back here try to Tonya Harding me or something,” he quipped, gesturing to other people in the sign-in area outside the Cobalt bar.
“I don’t really actually practice in heels, but I’m an ex-collegiate runner, so I kind of have that background of running which is to my advantage,” Dennis added.
But the three-peat was not to be.
This year’s winner, in a skimpy schoolgirl outfit, was first-time racer Scott Teribury.
“I practiced yesterday. I got the heels and then I did like a little workout up a hill, to see if I could actually run in them,” he said.
What tips does he have for other racers?
“Definitely at the start it’s really hectic, so try and get out fast and try and get in the front. But you have to jostle for position, so try not to waste too much energy on that. Then, high knees and keep your arms going the whole time.”
Teribury wore boots with 2
