Move over, Naked Cowboy — there’s a new, nude sheriff in town.
Clad in little more than running shoes, a headband and fanny pack, the World’s Fastest Nudist has become an overnight sensation by doing what he loves to do: run, naked.
In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Long Island-bred, 29-year-old Williamsburg resident Donnie Montero exposes himself even more than usual, describing his hopes, dreams, and fears — which do not include speaking in front of a room full of people naked.
Do you have a day job?
I’m a doorman in a building in Midtown.
How long have you been running?
For a while now, about 10 years. In the last five or six years, I just realized that it was so much better to run naked. When you run, your shirt chafes you. So one day I was like, ‘I’m losing the shirt.’ After a weekend, I asked myself, ‘What if I lose the shorts too?’
That’s probably a question people don’t often find themselves asking.
It’s like, I don’t know. I guess a lot of people are embarrassed. But the more comfortable I am, the better I train.
With the weather getting colder, will you be amending your schedule?
I’m getting ready for the World Nude 10k in Barcelona, held each year in April. Right now I’m doing some weight lifting, bulking up for the winter. I’m eating a lot and running a lot of short distances.
[A video entitled “Nude Guy at Taco Truck In Williamsburg — NO JOKE!!” can be found on YouTube.]
I’ve never heard of that race.
You won’t find anything on the World Nude 10k. It’s an event that you qualify for by participating in other nude events [found at] nuderuns.com. It’s really underground like fight club, only naked.
What entitles you to call yourself the World’s Fastest Nudist?
Once I won the race last year, I ostensibly became that.
Ah.
I always wanted to be the best at something. I’m not the best athlete in the world. But I am the best nude athlete. To be honest, I was never the best at anything. [Awkward pause]. This is born out of wanting to be the best at something. I think I can be an inspiration. We’re all not LeBron James or Michael Jordan. But we all have dreams.
Didn’t you play football in high school? What position were you?
I was a fullback. But I was like third string.
But when you run, you are not totally naked?
realize not everyone is OK with it, so my fanny pack kind of helps hide the junk a little bit. I don’t want to freak anyone out. So it helps.
Any trouble from the police?
They’ve never stopped me. It was a concern at first, but they’ve never given me any trouble. The cops are cool, and no one really ever complains.
But Williamsburg has a large Orthodox Jewish population…
That’s in the southern part. I don’t run there, I want to respect their religion. I’m at the northern edge, near Greenpoint. I’m just loving life now.
So how does the public treat you?
I get a lot of shout-outs.
What about the Naked Cowboy, was he your inspiration?
I’m nothing like the Naked Cowboy. We are totally different things. He’s a guy that sells his picture for money. I have a job. This is what I do in my meantime.
Is there a special someone in your life?
I met a girl a few months ago in the park. Jill. I was running, and she said, ‘Hey, can you stop.’ She asked me if I wanted to go out with her. She was really pretty. I said, ‘You know, I run naked all the time, will that bother you?’ She thinks what I’m doing is awesome.
She really got an opportunity to see what she was getting herself into.
She definitely saw my butt, because it was exposed.
What does the future hold for you?
I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing for a while, as long as it’s fun and I’m not getting arrested. I certainly don’t plan on shopping for clothes anytime soon.
Any advice for our readers?
Just let it hang out. Be yourself out there.
