Opinion Graphic
On Monday, Technician ran an opinion column titled “The irony of the Krispy Kreme Challenge,” voicing some criticisms of the event.
For those who are unaware, the Krispy Kreme Challenge involves running 2.5 miles from the Belltower to the Person Street Krispy Kreme, eating a dozen doughnuts and running 2.5 miles back, hopefully in under an hour with the doughnuts still in your stomach. It’s a famous, nationally publicized event at NC State that’s been around since 2004, meant to raise money for the UNC Children’s Hospital.
I never thought I would have to defend a race for charity. I would think that raising more than $1 million for the UNC Children’s Hospital justifies the Challenge, especially since the biggest gripe seems to be that “it’s stupid.” Admittedly, it’s disgusting. Simply eating 12 doughnuts in one sitting is revolting, not to mention wolfing down those doughnuts (totaling 144 grams of fat and 2400 calories) in the middle of a five-mile run. It’s enough to make anyone’s stomach turn.
That’s the point. It wouldn’t be a challenge otherwise, and for those who can’t stomach the dozen doughnuts, there’s an option to run without eating them. “Casual” and “No Doughnut” runners still raise money for the Children’s Hospital — participating as a “Challenger” is purely for bragging rights. Those who choose to pump their digestive tracts full of that ludicrous amount of fat and sugar aren’t doing it because it’s fun, they’re doing it because they want to help a good cause while surrounded by friends, family and community members. Just as with any kind of charity event, the Krispy Kreme Challenge is not the be-all and end-all of philanthropy, but it’s hard to argue that the K2C is not doing a lot of good for a worthy cause.
The column says that there’s an “irony” between this cause (the Children’s Hospital) and the event (the Krispy Kreme Challenge) because of a tenuous and far-reaching connection to childhood obesity. The event itself is obviously not a cause of obesity, and it certainly doesn’t “encourage unhealthy eating habits” aside from the one-time devouring of 12 doughnuts — which is indefensibly unhealthy, but that’s the idea. Providing nationwide free advertising for Krispy Kreme, however, certainly isn’t helping end childhood obesity. This seems like a valid criticism of the Krispy Kreme Challenge if you assume nobody knows the first thing about the Krispy Kreme Challenge: it’s gross. The absurd amount of fat in the doughnuts is widely advertised as part of the challenge, and the fact that participants typically vomit is anything but good publicity for Krispy Kreme.
Even with all of the good that the Krispy Kreme Challenge has done for the past 13 years, as the column points out, there is the unfortunate reality that a participant died shortly after attempting to run in last year’s race. The 58-year-old man’s death is a tragedy, but he left within the first mile of the race, before consuming any doughnuts, and he had a preexisting heart condition. The same thing would have happened if he had run in any race; the same thing still happens to participants who run in ordinary races with heart conditions. To say that consequences of the Challenge include “problems with diabetes and cholesterol, and even death” is not wrong, but no one with diabetes or a heart condition should be participating in the K2C. It is imperative that participants talk to their doctor before undertaking any kind of intense physical activity, whether it be the Krispy Kreme Challenge, a triathlon or a 5k, and no one should run if there is any serious health risk involved.
The Krispy Kreme Challenge is disgusting. It involves consuming two days’ recommended daily value of fat and enough caloric intake for the average adult’s entire day. It’s no wonder the streets are littered with upchucked sweets, but it’s a tradition that brings students, alumni and community members together while remaining a sustainable, zero-waste event, all while raising hundreds of thousands of dollars every year for the UNC Children’s Hospital. While you could do “literally anything else to raise money toward research and care for ailing kids,” I recommend you give the Krispy Kreme Challenge a chance if you think you can stomach it.