KKC – yes, people really do things like this. So many, in fact, that registration filled up before I could join this year.
My parents offer me the same sage and moderately offensive advice whenever I’m home on a break: “You’d better never stop running.” While I know (or at least I hope) they’re joking, they’re probably right. Without running, I would probably (definitely) be obese. I really do like running and was on Cross Country and Track teams throughout middle and high school. I thought I was over running on a team by college, but I surprised myself by joining the club team here. The Roadrunners (now called “Duke Club Running,” how boring) are an incredibly talented group of runners. I was literally the slowest person on the team – okay, I’m not the fastest runner in the world, but in all my years on Track and XC I was never the absolute slowest. That’s why when I heard about the Krispy Kreme Challenge, I knew I’d finally have my chance to shine.
The Challenge: 2.25 miles there + 12 donuts + 2.25 miles back; < 1 hour, no throwing up
I know. I KNOW. Finally – I could definitely out-eat all of these serious runners; I’ve pretty much been training for a race like this my whole life. (My parents felt a weird balance of pride and disgust.) My preparation consisted of doing nothing, except for running as I normally would. The first time I did it (that’s my subtle way of telling you I did this twice) I ran the first two miles with a guy dressed as a taco, because why would you not if you had the opportunity? The race went exactly as planned. I got destroyed in the running section by my Roadrunner counterparts, so they had about a 5 min head start on eating the donuts. We all somehow found each other in the mass of people and ate together. People had all different strategies – flattening the donuts, rolling them into balls, going for two at once, but not me – the thought of touching the donuts that much with my sweaty hands just did not seem appetizing and I wanted to enjoy my breakfast, so I just ate them normally.
The first six went down easy; I would venture as far as to say almost pleasantly. Seven through ten were a little tougher, and eleven and twelve were just…not…fun. I didn’t let it get me down though – I was the first Roadrunner to head back. The worst part is the glazed sugar that inevitably ends up on your hands and lips. Whenever you lick your lips it’s gross, and whenever you use your hands to try to wipe your lips, it’s grosser.
Sadly, even with my head start on the way back because of my superior eating ability, the other Roadrunners still caught up to me, but I did successfully complete the challenge. Even more importantly, when Runner’s World magazine ran a story about the KKC, I’m the only one who made it in the picture.
Check me out - blue shirt in the middle along the left-most column. I'm basically famous.
I guess my parents can rest easy – I’m forever immortalized in a running magazine, for heaven’s sake! (The fact that it was for a race whose focus is eating is just a delicious detail!)
2400 calories – worth it? Do it.
