This was one for a feather in my pirate hat. Ick.
It was rainy and cold (by NC standards) with temps around 35 and it had been raining since Thursday night...so everything was wet. We woke up at 4 to drive to Raleigh. Got there in good time and found a super close parking spot. No lines when we went to pick up our bibs & tshirts. The motto on the tshirt this year read ->tighten laces, <- loosen belts. 4 miles, 2400 calories, 12 donuts (150 fat grams too). I feel sick just remembering it.
There were lots of great costumes, and a few folks who seemed to have forgotten to finish dressing (no shirts, string bikinis, tiger print negligee with a pink cowboy hat on a man, a hot dog costume, a gorilla costume, Elvis costume, Masked men wearing "legal superhero" capes, and on & on). It took place on NC State campus, so lots of red & white along the way too.
My shoes ended up walking me into a deep water puddle on the way to the race start, so I was sloshing around to being with. There were 7500 runners.. we all had to run 4.3 miles to the Krispy Kreme store where boxes of cold donuts waited. Once at the store, we had to eat all 12 donuts, show them our empty boxes to continue as an official challenger (the lesser runners could take their donuts with them and finish, but wouldn't be considered as Krispy Kreme Challenge runners). It was downhill 90% of the way to the store. The crowds were really bad, so running around people was the hardest part. Once at the store, we grabbed a box and started in. I felt icky after my first donut. By the time I was in the middle of donut #2, MR had finished 3 and started #4. I was going downhill fast in the competition of donut eating. They were cold and the thick glaze was crusty. No water could be found (saw people with water, but couldn't find where they got it). I tried...I really, really, really tried. When I was on #8, MR had finished his 12. He was itching to go, and felt bad for me, so he helped me eat 2 donuts so we could head back & beat the 60 minute time limit. Every bite I took was scary, because I wasn't sure if it was going to result in me vomiting all over the place. I felt sooooo sick!!! As we showed off our empty boxes & bib #'s, I still had half of an unfinished donut in my mouth. After we got the "all good" to run back, I went 1/2 a block and spit the last donut out. I never want another glazed donut in my life!!
We passed piles of donut vomit, and one very squished all over the road dead opossum, which was actually nastier looking than donut vomit!
Since the way out was 90% downhill, the way back was 90% uphill... and it wasn't easy with a sludge of donut sugar goo in my gut. We slowed down toward the end, but still finished in plenty of time. Couldn't get to the port a potty fast enough after crossing the finish line :-)
Haven't really felt like eating much at all the rest of the day. Wondering what tomorrow will bring... hate to even consider it.
Paces were:
1st mile: 8:24 (really crowded)
2nd mile: 7:57 (better)
next .25: 2:001
next .10: 12:00 (waiting in line to get a box of donuts and eating them all...or having someone who loves you enough to help you eat them all)
3rd mile: 8:33 (going back up hill)
4th mile: 9:05 (still going up hill and starting to feel it)
last .36: 9:26 (still going up hill & the donut slude is winning)
I'm NOT interested in doing this again, but I am so glad I did it once. I'll be happy to drive anyone who wants to try it next year. I'll even run- but I'm not eating any donuts!!
Then, super duper news, my favorite Mizunos are now back in a narrow toe box, so I've got a shiny new pair of shoes!!! | 