2004
Chris McCoy, a then-sophomore, came up with the idea of the Krispy Kreme Challenge, and tried to convince his friends, Greg Mulholland and Ben Gaddy, that the race would be a good idea. Gaddy said he and Mulholland were tough to convince, but McCoy persisted. “Initially, I thought it was the stupidest thing I had ever heard of,” Gaddy said.
December 2004
After publicizing some through the club crew team and Park Scholars, a group of 10 to 12 students showed up at the Bell Tower. McCoy slept through the event, and with the aid of a few helpful hands waiting at Krispy Kreme, more than eight runners finished the race. Gaddy won the race, after planning on only eating six doughnuts to begin with. “Greg talked a big game, but he really struggled to get them down,” Gaddy said.
Fall 2005
While on a crew team trip to Boston to attend what Gaddy dubbed “the biggest race of the year,” he and Mulholland got a call from Sports Illustrated: On Campus. The magazine asked the duo about the race and featured it in a story titled “102 More Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate.” Gaddy said he knew they would have to capitalize on the publicity. “We felt this was our chance to give back to the University,” he said.
January 2006
The crew held the second Krispy Kreme Challenge and drew 150 runners. The event raised money for the North Carolina Children’s Hospital — a philanthropic tradition that is still on-going. “We were amazed to get 150 people,” Gaddy said. “We were expecting 50 idiots.”
January 2007
The phenomenon grew last year, as nearly 1,400 runners came out to participate, raising $10,000 for the N.C. Children’s Hospital. Auburn Staples won the race with a time of 24 minutes, 32 seconds. With the registration count at more than 2,400 for this year’s event, Gaddy is excited about the continued growth. “It really is satisfying that it has kept growing,” Gaddy said. “It’s great how it’s really got everyone on campus involved.”