Usually it takes a game to bring a couple hundred people from rival schools together. Sometimes, it takes a race. But add in a dozen doughnuts for each person and an hour time limit, and 3,032 people will come together.
It’s the fourth annual Krispy Kreme Challenge.
This race from the Bell Tower to the Krispy Kreme on Person Street where competitors eat a dozen doughnuts and run back to the Bell Tower is a growing N.C. State tradition. Proceeds from registration go to the North Carolina Children’s Hospital.
This year, the top three winners said they’d do it again if they could.
Philip CurleyUndeclared freshman, UNC-Chapel Hill1st place, 31:20″I think it’s healthy to keep the rivalry, but I didn’t think of it that much ’til the end.”
Technician: Why did you decide to run the KKC?Curley: One of the top finishers last year was my cross country coach. I thought it would be a really interesting thing to do. I wanted to do it last year, but I couldn’t. It sounded fun and the doughnuts were a different aspect to the race.
Technician: What technique did you use to eat the doughnuts?Curley: I took them two at a time. I smashed them together, rolled them up, and shaped them as a hot dog. Then I would dip it in water and it would get really soft.
Technician: What was the hardest part of the challenge?Curley: The hardest part was the last four doughnuts for me. That was the point when my body was telling me I couldn’t eat anymore, but I had to. I had a pretty easy time running on a full stomach. I got a cramp or two, but it wasn’t so bad.
Technician: What was the best part?Curley: Eating the doughnuts was the best part. I thought it would be more of an intense competition eating the doughnuts. But I just talked to people. I wasn’t sure I was going to win ’til I finished. When you’re running competitively, you can’t really talk to people, but it’s fun to pause and talk over doughnuts.
Technician: Do you plan to do it again next year?Curley: Yes. I had a really good time. It was a really fun race and I plan to do it again next year.
Technician: What was the first thing that went through your head when you finished?Curley: It was amazing because I didn’t realize I could win the race and I had no idea I was going to. I passed people on the way back, but I wasn’t sure if they were competitive or casual.
Technician: What do you plan to do differently next year?Curley: Next year, we’ll try and get a good team together. This year, we didn’t have quite enough people.
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Bradley BelfioreFreshman in chemical engineering, NCSU2nd place, 31:35″It was kind of a last minute thing.”
Technician: Why did you decide to run the KKC?Belfiore: Me and my friend went to Krispy Kreme Friday night at 6:30 on an impulse and just decided to sign up for it. It was pretty random, but it turned out pretty good, I guess.
Technician: What technique did you use to eat the doughnuts?Belfiore: I smashed the doughnut up, dipped it in water and started chewing. And while I smashed it up, I had one soaking in water. They weren’t really hard to chew.
Technician: What was the hardest part of the challenge?Belfiore: Probably getting down to that 12th doughnut and definitely getting up and running right after that.
Technician: What was the best part?Belfiore: Coming in second place. I had no clue until people in the road were telling me what place I was in.
Technician: Do you plan to do it again next year?Belfiore: I’ll definitely be back next year.
Technician: What was the first thing that went through your head when you finished?Belfiore: My first thought was thank God, and please don’t throw up. I did not [throw up] surprisingly enough.
Technician: What do you plan to do differently next year?Belfiore: 1) I want to run faster. 2) I have to eat my doughnuts a little bit faster if I want to win — maybe eat two or three doughnuts at a time next year.
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Auburn StaplesSenior in geology, NCSU3rd place, 31:50″While I was eating the doughnuts, there was a point where I puked a little bit, but I was able to swallow it back down.”
Technician: Why did you decide to run the KKC?Staples: It was almost an obligation for me after winning last year. I wasn’t feeling 100 percent because of a bike accident a month ago and hadn’t started training until a week before. But I registered three days before the race and knew I needed to defend the title.
Technician: What technique did you use to eat the doughnuts?Staples: I was dunking them some in water, but that didn’t exactly get rid of the icing. I basically had two cups of water and left a doughnut in the water while I ate another one. It just turned into like a soggy mash — I may try that again next year.
Technician: What was the best part of the challenge?Staples: Probably glancing back down Peace Street at Krispy Kreme and not seeing anybody. When I was eating people were yelling at me “take your time, enjoy the doughnuts.”
Technician: Do you plan to do it again next year?Staples: Yeah, the whole thing made me feel sick — and it wasn’t just the doughnuts. I felt like the race was mine and I let it get away. I wanted to keep winning and build a legacy for years to come.
Technician: Why were you disappointed with the finish?Staples: I don’t want to be overly dramatic, but I look at third as a failure. I thought I had it won running in, but when I saw someone else being interviewed, I went from happy to upset in a second. I thought they were casual runners ahead of me and I didn’t push it. That just made it all the more disappointing.
