Thousands of participants came out bright and early Saturday morning to tackle the Krispy Kreme Challenge.
Saturday marked the 12th annual Krispy Kreme Challenge, a feat in which challengers run 2.5 miles to consume one dozen glazed doughnuts and try to run back in less than an hour to benefit the UNC Children’s Hospital.
The event raised $195,000 this year through various means, such as fundraising by individuals and groups, merchandise sales and registration fees.
Over the past 12 years, the race has raised over $1 million for the hospital, which goes to purchase toys, interactive devices and to fund programs for kids through the “Promise Grant” program.
In October the Park Scholars Program pledged to raise and donate $1 million to UNC Children’s Hospital over the next five years of the Krispy Kreme Challenge.
The challenge is a deeply rooted tradition at NC State and never fails to bring out a wide variety of people from all across the Triangle, each person having a unique reason for participating.
Many participants run to raise awareness and funds for different organizations and charities.
“My older brother was diagnosed with lymphoma, and I run to spread awareness for the disease,” said Nick Oltman, who finished in first place.
In contrast, other participants run for more trivial reasons.
“Do it for the [Instagram],” said Leigh Debevec, a sophomore studying fashion and textile management.
Lighthearted explanations for participation like Debevec’s are common and sometimes coordinated with the donning of silly outfits by the runners.
Many participants dressed up for the event in order to keep with the fun spirit of the race while others were competing in the challenge’s costume contest.
Tom Place, a KKC veteran of 11 years, ran with his friend Everett Bradford in a large homemade tandem wolf costume.
Place said the goal was to “look as ridiculous as possible.”
Even though the fun of the race is prevalent, some runners take the event seriously. Preparation and strategy are important for success.
“Last week I ate six doughnuts and ran to prepare for today,” said Zach Tacy, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering.
Being a good runner alone will not ensure victory in the Krispy Kreme Challenge. Participants must develop effective techniques of eating all 12 doughnuts if they want to finish on time.
“My strategy is to eat them all one at a time,” said Frankie Guo, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering. “You may as well enjoy it as much as you can.”
While many runners consumed the doughnuts individually, others used more inventive strategies such as stacking the doughnuts or compacting them into balls.
Coordinators of the race faced their own difficulties. There are many logistical complications that occur behind the scenes of the Krispy Kreme Challenge.
An estimated 7,000 registered participants consumed approximately 84,000 doughnuts on the day of the event, an amount too large for the Krispy Kreme located on North Person Street to produce.
The doughnuts were made at a larger kitchen in Concord, North Carolina, beginning at 2 a.m. Saturday and by 5 a.m., the 7,000 dozen doughnuts are cooled and ready to ship to Raleigh for the race.
“I’ve done it every year, and I won’t stop now,” said Will Sealy, a junior studying aerospace engineering. “Mash and dunk, baby.”
