Eight-thousand runners will challenge their physical fitness and gastrointestinal fortitude when they jam-pack Hillsborough Street Saturday, in the ninth installment of the annual Krispy Kreme Challenge.
Their mantra will be simple: 2400 calories, 12 doughnuts, five miles, and one hour.
The Krispy Kreme Challenge has become a beloved tradition at N.C. State, and in the name of charity has raised over $374,000 over the last eight years, with all of the proceeds going toward the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, with $127,000 being raised last year alone.
The challenge first began in December 2004 as a dare between a few N.C. State undergraduate students, with then-sophomore Ben Gaddy taking home top honors as the winner of that race.
Since then, the competition has received national coverage, and was placed #85 on the “102 More Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate” by Sports Illustrated, while the University’s own Student Government has ranked it as the “#1 Thing To Do Before You Graduate”
The Challenge is also looking toward the future with more sustainable practices for waste disposal. This year, organizers have challenged themselves to make the event zero-waste, meaning no remnants from the event end up in local landfills.
According to the Office of Sustainability, in the past two Krispy Kreme Challenges, nearly 7,400 pounds of waste, including doughnut boxes, paper cups and doughnut remains have been composted. This year, reusable coolers will be used instead of Styrofoam coolers, and any of the 96,000 doughnuts left uneaten will be donated or composted.
Michael Harrison, co-chair of the publicity committee and senior in industrial engineering, said he hopes with 8,000 runners enlisting this year to set the record for participants, the event’s ability to give will grow even more, and it will continue to inspire.
“It’s important to remember that the real success story isn’t going from 12 runners to 8,000 over the last eight years. The real success story lies in the $374,000 raised for the children, and the lives transformed by that money,” said Harrison
