More moments from the Krispy Kreme Challenge

More observations and thoughts on Saturday's Krispy Kreme Challenge. (If you missed our main coverage, go here.)

Challenger Mark Luckinbill took a 2-8-2 approach to downing his donuts. He ate two donuts smushed together, then crammed eight together in this little sandwich, then ate the last two.

What about the controversy at the finish? A fifth-year resources management major was clearly the first to cross the finish line, in under 30 minutes. Why he was disqualified is unclear. Speculation was that he either didn't have a chip (see below) or he didn't eat all 12 donuts. On the latter, contestants had to check out of the Krispy Kreme on Peace Street by showing they had emptied their box of a dozen donuts. Could have been a mix-up at that point.

Sign that the Krispy Kreme Challenge is getting competitive. When those first 10 students decided to run from campus to the Krispy Kreme and back five years ago, there may have been some friendly competition, but the folks from Greensoboro-based Set Up Events weren't on hand to document the results. They were this year, outfitting all runners who signed up for the official Challenge with ankle chips to more accurately record their times. Runners crossed an electronic mat at the start, which fed their official starting time into a computer; the crossed an electronic mat as they presented their empty box to race officials as they left the Krispy Kreme; and they crossed an electronic mat at the finish. Race spokeswoman Carrie McMillan said the move to chips was primary to eliminate the bottleneck at the finish line, where race officials previously had to hand-remove a tag from each runner's race bib.

4 minutes, 50 seconds. That's how long it took the 5,200 runners in Saturday's race to cross the starting line on Hillsborough Street.

Now there's a company that knows how to hold meetings. Four members of ING Financial combined business with pleasure at Saturday's Race. A regional meeting — including Greg Holgate from Florida and Clint Legeyt from Nashville — was scheduled for Friday so they could run the race Saturday with local INGers Mark Luckinbill and Ned Freer.

Not everyone ran with a death wish. Some — hard to say how many — chose to run the challenge but pass on the donuts. Kathy and Joe DeBlasio, for instance. Kathy probably knows better than most how a carb and sugar overload can sabotage a run: she's the Lifestyle Enhancement Director at UNC's Meadowmont Wellness Center.

A similar (hic!) challenge. Aaron White, who ran with the aforementioned DeBlasios, is a serious triathlete now. But in his youth, he and his crew would meet at a local track, run a mile, then drink a six-pack. "Whoever ran the fastest and could hold down their beer, won."

Naming rights. This year's Krispy Kreme Challenge raised $35,000 for the N.C. Children's Hospital. As the race continues to grow, you can bet race organizers — did we mention that the Krispy Kreme Challenge is run entirely by students? — will look for more ways to raise money for the hospital. Once suggestion: Naming rights on the trash cans that greet finishers who elect to eject their donuts. "Bad breath? Try the new Paradise Mint Tic Tacs."

2007 revisited. At the finish, GOGF chatted with former N.C. State Technician photographer Rob Bradley, who was putting together a multimedia show on the race, similar to the one he did for the 2007 race. Warning: the weak of stomach may want to skip ahead from 1:58 in the show to about 1:35. We'll let you know when Rob's got the 2009 show up.

Cheap thrils. If your odds of experiencing the thirll of athletic victory before a cheering throng are about as good as mine, then do what I did at the Challenge: A half mile or so from the finish get on your bike and ride between the police escort and the lead runner — there's usually a good 30- to 40-yard gap. Hundreds of spectators lined Hillsborough Street near the finish, cheering me on. I mean cheering on the lead runner.