Charleston Krispy Kreme Donut Run Race Recap

Saturday was the Krispy Kreme Donut Run in Charleston, SC.  I drove up to South Carolina Friday afternoon to spend the night with my daughter Caroline, who would be running with me.  We love donuts and running so we were very excited about this event!

Caroline and I in our race outfits

 Costumes were encouraged so we made donut themed T-shirts. There were about 300 runners but I think a third of them were children and dogs.  This was a casual, low key run that really was all about having fun. The challengers lined up at the start first. We casual runners were next and then the walkers.  The course was out and back on a grass trail.

The turnaround point was the Krispy Kreme store.  

Upon entering the parking lot, we ran around the store and ended up in the side parking lot, where there were tables of donuts on trays and then a table with stacks of boxed donuts. The challengers HAD to eat all twelve donuts before they could head back.  Some were having a tough time stuffing them all in, many using water to wash them down.  Others took the approach of stacking the donuts 3 and 4 donuts high and then smooshing them flat to eat all together. 

Each tray held 12 donuts

As a casual runner, we grabbed a box of donuts and could eat as many or as few as we wanted.  I ate 2 and Caroline ate one and a half.  We packed our remaining donuts in ziplock bags, put them in a bag for easy carrying and headed back to the finish line.

Enjoying donut #1

Eating even a few donuts does not make running easy.  We decided to run/walk the rest of the way back. We caught up with a family with 2 young kids under 6 that had been ahead of us the entire race. They weren't carrying any donuts back, so I wonder if they ate them all.  Either way, those kids just kept on running - they were amazing!   I thought we would never pass them. In the end, fatigue won out and the kids walked. We were able to beat the six year olds, but just barely. We finished with a scorching time of 41:26:06.  

The donuts were freshly baked and delicious - perfect! However, I am so glad I did not sign up to eat all twelve donuts, I would have been miserable. The two I ate were plenty.  Thinking about eating all the donuts you want sounds like a dream come true, but it is not as easy as you think. Too much of a good thing is not good!  I know for sure I will not be starting my own show Girl v Food.

I think the guy who won completed the eating and running in 28 minutes. 

We had a great time, ate some yummy donuts and got in a run all at the same time!

The End

Donut Run Costume

Now that I am on the road to recovery with just a little cough left, I have been preparing for this Saturday's Donut Run in South Carolina.  My daughter Caroline and I have decided to wear matching outfits so we have been designing T-shirts and deciding on outfits.  This is what we came up with...

Front of the shirt

Back view

We will be running a 5K and eating some portion of a dozen glazed donuts in the middle. I am sure I will secure a PR for donut eating/running so I am pumped about that!

 Look for the race recap this weekend for all the sweet details.

Iron Girl Half Marathon Race Recap

Pre-race flexing

On Saturday I traveled to Clearwater with Cate and Andy for the Iron Girl Half Marathon.  Clearwater is on the west coast of Florida and as I came to realize, a very popular Spring Break destination.  The place was packed!

The beach in front of our hotel

I signed up for this race back in January and it was my first out of town, had to stay the night, race. During this trip I realized how lucky I am to have so many great races in my own town!  Disney  and Track Shack, our local race sponsor, whose owner also happens to be race director for RunDisney, has spoiled me and this race just didn't measure up on a few levels.  I was expecting more from the race and myself and was disappointed on both counts.

I started coming down with some bug on Wednesday and instead of getting better, it only got worse.  I don't get sick very often and when I do it's usually a cold that I can run out.  Not this time.  I was lethargic and achy with a serious cough.  BUT I had made plans to go with Cate and had paid for this race and hotel so I was going. I kept hoping each morning I would wake up feeling better. That could happen...

Goody bag contents plus bottle and headband I bought.

We arrived Saturday afternoon for packet pick up.  There were only a handful of vendors but no Bondi Bands. I had my heart set a few new ones.  The highlight was finding a bottle I can attach to my ifitness belt!!  I love that belt and now I can use it to carry drinks for those long runs too. Usually I wear a hydration belt and the ifitness belt, now I only have to wear one! 

Race day started at 6am. Our hotel was just a block from the start of the race so we did not have to get up too early.  I don't sleep well in different beds, so that coupled with all the  medicine I was taking made for a fitfull night's sleep.  Needless to say I did not wake up feeling better, but I figured running wouldn't make it worse, plus I had come this far, I wanted to do the best I could.

It was an all girl field of 1600 runners and there were no corrals.  I saw a few pace group signs and tried to squeeze my way near the 2:30 group.  The start was right near the beach at dawn, a lovely setting.

I knew the race was a loop course over some causeways, but I did not know it included three LARGE bridges and a hilly course!  I started off at a decent pace and after making my way through the initial crowd and past walkers who started near the front (What is that about???) I was able to run up the first hill without any problems.  At mile four I started to feel tired.  I ate some of my Stingers and hoped for a return of some energy.  It was very hot and humid and I was sweating up a storm which made me really thirsty.  The water stations seemed very far apart and I began walking through them.  By the time I got to the second bridge around mile eight (I think) I had to walk up the hill. I began walking more and running less. By the third hill, on mile eleven I was pooped and it was even more steep, so I walked that one too.  I couldn't wait to cross the finish line so I could rest.

Approaching the finish line, finally.

I finally crossed the finish line with a time of 2:19:48.  I was so relieved! I got my medal, some water and a chocolate muscle milk. I sat down to check out my toe which had been bothering me during the race to find I had a big blister on the bottom of my big toe!  What the heck!! I was not in my best shape for this race and it was getting worse.

Cate and I 

After the race, we got cleaned up, checked out and headed back home.  After a stop for some much needed carbs (bagels) I took a nap in the car.  Once home, I headed to the bed to lie down and rest.  I spent the rest of the day sleeping off a bad headache and woke up starving. Andy made a fabulous dinner of chicken parmigiana, salad and chocolate raspberry cake while I snoozed.  It was just what I needed after an exhausting day!

The day ended on a great note and I finally did wake up feeling better on Monday.  I guess I eventually did run that bug out of me, it just stayed too long!  

I  don't think I will run the Iron Girl again, it just wasn't worth all the travel, time and money, plus Clearwater Beach was just too touristy for me.  I wanted it to be better: more music, less hills, more water stations, better vendor participation.  My expectations were just too high, but now I know.

It wasn't all bad, I enjoyed my family and the quiet of the beach at dusk.

We did experience this a beautiful sunset Saturday.

Have you ever run a race when you weren't quite up for it?

Here's the breakdown of the race:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	02:19:47	13.12	10:39
1	00:09:57	1.00	09:57
2	00:09:33	1.00	09:33
3	00:09:13	1.00	09:13
4	00:09:21	1.00	09:21
5	00:09:27	1.00	09:27
6	00:10:11	1.00	10:11
7	00:11:03	1.00	11:03
8	00:12:56	1.00	12:56
9	00:10:18	1.00	10:18
10	00:10:59	1.00	10:59
11	00:11:45	1.00	11:45
12	00:12:43	1.00	12:43
13	00:11:09	1.00	11:09
14	00:01:07	0.12	09:00

Five Miles and Two Doughnuts

Medal for half marathon

Five miles and two doughnuts were part of my training this weekend for two upcoming races.  My long run Saturday was five miles as part of my taper for this Sunday's Iron Girl Half Marathon in Clearwater, FL. I have been following Runner's World Smart Coach program for this race and it is very demanding.  Much more serious than the Marathoning for Mortals I used for my marathon.  Smart Coach wanted me to run thirteen miles for the two long runs prior to the event.  That seemed extreme to me so I tweaked it and decided to run eight and five miles the weeks before. This is all an experiment for me, so we will see how this translates to race day performance. I will be running this race with child #1, Cate.  This will be our last race together before she moves to Chicago in May. I will miss my fitness buddy.

The two doughnuts were eaten as part of my training for the Charleston Krispy Kreme Donut Run on April 16, in Charleston, SC. Being a fan of doughnuts and running, this is a great combo race. Basically it's a 5K with a dozen doughnuts thrown into the middle. You run half of the race, eat twelve donuts and then finish the race.  


I have read about this race in North Carolina, home of Krispy Kreme and always thought it sounded fun.  Caroline, child #2, lives in Charleston and we will be doing this one together.  As much as I like doughnuts, I was a little worried about having to eat twelve doughnuts at one time AND having to run 1.5 miles after eating them.  


Fortunately, this race offers runners a choice: you can either compete as a challenger meaning you HAVE to eat all 12 doughnuts and keep them down before you can start your run to the finish, or you can enter in the casual division, where you can eat as many or as few doughnuts as you want.
Of course, if you go casual, you can't claim victory for this race.


Not really being a contender for winning, and my lack of interest in throwing up after stuffing down a dozen doughnuts, I am perhaps wimping out, but I have entered in the casual division.  I like that I have a choice, we'll see what happens race day.  I may get caught up in the doughnut frenzy!! 


Would you choose to run as a challenger or a contender?  Do you spell this circle of dough fried in fat as donut or doughnut?  Just curious...I go back and forth between the two.