The 21st of October 2014 saw the Great Gorilla Run in central London. Set over an 8km route, contestants dress up as gorillas to raise money for charity.

I took my Nikon FM2N loaded with Rollei RPX 400 film and went with some friends to watch the event. It was fun to see all the modifications to the costumes that people made. The images below show the event as I saw it. They were developed in Rodinal R09 for 8 minutes at 20 degrees celcius.

Contestants congregate at Mincing Lane for the staging ground. Here a fairy, a cheerleader, and a Hawaiian gorilla wait for the start: Waiting at the staging ground

Everybody starts to make their way towards the starting line: Moving to the start

This chap was in high spirits: Gorilla man

The MC prepares the runners for the race: At the start line

And they’re off: Starting the race 1 Starting the race 2 Starting the race 3 Starting the race 4

Seeing double: Twins

Double-costuming. A gorilla inside a banana: A man dressed as a gorilla dressed as a banana

Posing for the camera on London Bridge: Posing for the camera

Even a storm trooper gorilla turned up. This one brought his family: Storm trooper gorilla

For people who were unaware that a race was happening, having a hundred gorillas run past must be a surreal experience. Family with gorilla running past

At the half way mark, spirits were still high. Running in the suits must be incredibly uncomfortable! Half way there

Bill Oddie and Uri Geller hand out medals to all of the contestants at the finish line: Bill Oddie and Uri Geller giving out medals