7.2 million Calories

Well, it's been a while since I've posted, but that's because a lot has happened!

First, there was the amazing trip to Grand Canyon. You can read more about it on Mom & Dad's Blog which features some amazing pictures.

This entry is about something equally amazing, if in a completely different way.

I'm talking, of course, about the Krispy Kreme Challenge. The Challenge was started in 2004 as an improptu dare among friends. Greg Mulholland somehow shanghaied us into running 2 miles from the NC State Belltower to the Krispy Kreme store in downtown Raleigh, eating 12 Hot-Now glazed doughnuts, and running back to the Tower. All in under an hour.

After we got big press coverage (including in the Sports Illustrated On Campus list of 102 things to do before graduating college #85) and saw increasing campus support for a new tradition, Greg and I decided it was our duty to make this a big event. That first year, we convinced some 150 people to come out and run in the cold.

This past weekend, I traveled down to Raleigh to help out with the challenge, which this year featured over 3000 runners!

With the brand new camera my parents got me for my birthday, I was able to take some great pictures of a not-so-typical trip to Raleigh.

As usual, I drove down on Thursday after work. And as usual stopped at what just might be my favorite Starbucks, the one at I95 Exit 33 in VA. (Don't even bother trying to go to the one off Exit 173 in NC...impossible to find the liquid crack. Also, I've boycotted exit 162 in VA).

But then I got a phonecall from a 919 number. I answered it, and through the static could just make out "Hi Ben, this is Joe from..." I hung up and called again, not optimistic because I cannot seem to complete a call anywhere between here and Wake County. (You know those AT&T/Cingular ads where they talk about the fewest dropped calls of any network? Well, if you have AT&T, you're welcome. Because I am singlhandedly dropping the network's entire quota of calls.) I was expecting a call from Joe from the Raleigh News & Observer, who was doing a story on the Challenge. It turned out the call was from Joe from the NC State Technician. I spoke with him for a little while about the history of the race, which led to this feature the next day.

I kicked Friday off with breakfast at Big Ed's. Everyone has their favorite breakfast spot, and this old-time country kitchen complete with farm equipment dangling from the rafters and older versions of the State Flag hanging on the walls wins hands-down in my book, though it's not open on Sunday and Saturday morning is always too crowded. I recommend it at about 9am on a weekday. (Possibly the only other contender for a favorite breakfast spot would be the place on A1A Blvd. in St. Augustine Beach, FL. I've gotta find out what that place is called.)

Then I proceeded to parade around campus, showing the Technician feature to anyone who might be interested. I managed to run into both Peaches and Danny on campus. I knew that volunteering at the challenge would bring me in dangerous proximity to doughnuts, so I decided to go for a run. After calling up and down my contact list, Josh Coltrane finally called me back and said he'd go run. So, a quick 3-mile jog at Lake Johnson and I was ready to get to the Krispy Kreme store to check in for the race, have a symbolic last enjoyable doughnut (more for the runners than the volunteers), meet with the co-chairs of the race to figure out what they neeed me to do and speak to the N&O reporter.

Just as I got there, things started to kick into high gear. The co-chairs got busy quick, so I didn't have time to get a briefing. The registration line had grown long, so Will and I helped bag shirts and regsiter runners. It was great to be involved, and of course to see people like my cousin Emma and fellow '07 park Will Quick in line ready and excited for the race.

We sat down at Red, Hot & Blue, which just took over the historic Hillsborough Street building where Darryl's restaurant used to be, and which has been sitting empty for the duration of my college career. I'm not sure if this kind of place can survive in a town where people know their BBQ, but it's always good to see something happening on Hillsborough.

["What do you have on tap?" "Uh, let me check the list. The only thing I know is that we've got PBR for $1" "Well, I'm not going to do that."]

Then Will and I walked over to Peele Hall to track down Kendall and Thomas and get the final word on Water. It was nearly midnight by this point, and last-minute prep was still going full force. (The highlight might have been when Thomas called Laura (the director of the Park program) at 11:30 to ask if she had an extension cord.) We got our briefing, and went back to Will's to watch a few more episodes of Flight of the Conchords before bed. Nevermind that sleep was nearly impossible between the party next door, and the fact that Will and TBO's apartment seems to lie right on the fault line between two or more rival gangs.

Will and I were the first ones to the store that morning. (Which meant we got free coffee from Herman, the store manager. Without him, there never would have been a KKC.)


Good to know we weren't the only ones making last-minute strategic plans (Herman's on the left):


Ever wondered what 300 dozen doughnuts looks like?

My job in the challenge was to make sure the runners had water. This was my job the year before, and it didn't go so well. We didn't have enough coolers, so the water stations quickly ran dry and long lines formed. This time, we made sure we had plenty of coolers, and did some last-minute recruiting of volunteers. Our distribution plan worked a little better, people still had to wait a little, and the first station the runners hit couldn't keep up. The 300 of our KKC.

The water table that wasn't:

Here comes the lead car. Well, if you had to pick someone to follow to the doughnut shop...

Here's the first runner. Auburn Staples, the 3rd place finisher and last year's winner.

Madness, and some group's themed T-shirts:

At this point my pictures stop, because I was fully occupied with scooping water for the runners. My arms were sore by the end. I was dripping wet (though fortunately I was wearing GORE-TEX shoes, pants, and jacket)

When all the runners had cleared out of the Krispy Kreme parking lot, leaving only smashed doughnuts, boxes, and the occasional pool of emesis - Ok. Lots of pools. - it was time for cleanup. So Jessie and I drove back to the belltower with dozens of boxes of doughnuts.

("Chris, how many boxes did you get in your car?" "Twelve dozen." "Gross!".... see what I did there?)

The red corolla was a veritable santa's sleigh of doughnuts. And what were we going to do with these doughnuts? What else... give them to the winners as prizes!!

All in all, the event was a huge success. Drawing over 3000 runners. Raising over $20,000. And hopefully fueling broader interest in the race so that we can hit our 5000 runner target next year.

One last cleanup effort: Can't leave any puke on the belltower stairs.

If you can't find anything ironic about converting our monument to the brave men and women who fought for our freedom in the Great World War to a finishline for the Challenge... At least it's all for sick children.