scantily clad but not for mardi gras

picture it: sydney, early weekend morning. i watch from the hotel room balcony as a steady stream of people make their way down oxford street to join the large throng that has already gathered in hyde park and surrounding areas.

from where i'm standing, my eyes take in a sea of bodies. there must be tens of thousands of them down below. a kaleidoscope of individuals, some are costumed simply in feathers and wings while others are even more creatively decorated. a few brave souls are clad in nothing more than body paint. most, though, are dressed appropriately for the occasion. short running shorts, skin tight lycra and comfortable runners that have seen their fair share of kilometres of pavement.

but this isn't mardi gras. it isn't even a gay and lesbian event. it is, however, another popular sydney gathering known world over. it's the city2surf fun run.

it's unusual to see the areas surrounding oxford street barricaded and not catch glimpses of the fantastically flamboyant floats usually lined one after the other. or the hundreds of bright pink coloured banners and rainbow flags being waved with so much pride. instead, there are groups of athletes, casual runners and a plague of breeders with prams. running bibs decorate one and all.

and amongst this chaos is my friend, scott. here especially for the event and recently 'out', scott has flown over the border as part of a small contingent fronting up on behalf of a running group in melbourne. a club that is made up of gay, lesbian and queer-friendly runners, it is an activity social club whose sexuality is a uniting factor but with a main interest centred firmly on pounding the asphalt. it is one of many in a trend of associations that largely focuses on specific activities and not solely on the sexuality of its participants.

"i initially found out about gay sporting clubs at my first melbourne pride march," says scott when quizzed on how he got started. "i had always been into sport so i thought i would give it a go. i went to one of their saturday morning social runs and i've been going along ever since."

while most individuals seeking initial contact with the community will approach support groups, such as those facilitated by organisations like the victorian AIDS council, guys like scott have taken a different course altogether. although similarity in sexuality helps, to them a common interest seems more paramount – and in scott's case, that's sport: "the best thing about sport is you can socialise while doing it, which opens up more avenues for conversations and getting to know people."

scanning the community contacts list on any gay press reveals at least a dozen other 'common interest' gay groups. from film buffs and 4wd enthusiasts to tennis and rugby supporters, even one for board game addicts. you name it, and more than likely it exists.

so does this mean such groups provide more of a support than actual support groups?

"no, not really," scott says. "support groups are still vital parts of the community. activity social groups simply provide another facet – a variety – for an already varied kind of community."