More than 7,000 boxes of donuts lined Person Street Saturday, waiting for the runners to turn the corner and head toward Raleigh’s Krispy Kreme store. Runners begin the five-mile course at NCSU’s Bell Tower. They stop halfway at the Krispy Kreme store to scarf down one dozen donuts before running back to the Bell Tower.
There are two types of runners, the casual runners who may or may not eat the dozen donuts and the challengers, who are running to complete the race in one hour – including doughnut-eating time.
The methods for quickly eating a dozen donuts are many, from the nibblers, to the mashers (where they take three or more donuts and mash them together before taking a bite), to drowning them in water and then jamming into their mouth.
No matter the type of runner or the method of eating . . all runners are expected to have fun!
All money from the race goes to the N.C. Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill. Last year the race raised $122,000 for the hospital.
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- More than 7,000 boxes of doughnuts line Person Street in preparation for the race.
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- Johnnie Williams, a NC State student.
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- Some runners dress in costume, such as this group, the Flying Elvises.
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- File: 2012. Runners partake in the Krispy Kreme Challenge.
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- Allison Murray of Durham finds a quiet spot in the Krispy Kreme parking lot to eat her doughnuts. Murray is a NCSU alumna and this is her 7th Krispy Kreme challenge.
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- Erin Green of Greenville, N.C. rests in the KK parking lot after eating her dozen.
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- A happy runner passes the mid-way point in the race. The empty doughnut boxes pile up after the serious Challengers in the race.
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- Ali Reading, a member of Team Sugar Rush, came from LSU to run this race.
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- Four doughnuts mashed together.
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- The first runner, with doughnuts in hand, heads to the Krispy Kreme store where he will eat the dozen..
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- One runner takes it easy as he eats his doughnuts.
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- A proud NCSU runner with doughnuts.
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- Taylor Adams, another proud NCSU runner.
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- Ken Barnum’s hands mash doughnuts together before he eats them.
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- Ken Barnum came from Connecticut to run the Krispy Kreme Challenge.
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- Runners stand around their boxes of doughnuts as they eat.
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- Mike Zimmerman of Raleigh chows down during his stop at the Krispy Kreme store.
