Kate Krause took her place at the starting line, gripping a box of a dozen doughnuts. The 18-year-old nursing freshman, clad in a penguin suit, jogged alongside the other runners, all of them wolfing down the glazed treats.
Young Life, a Christian-based organization, held a 5K Doughnut Dash race Saturday at Westwood Middle School. The racers ran around the middle school while stuffing down Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Some wore banana suits, tacky dresses and other costumes.
About 60 people attended the Doughnut Dash, and Young Life raised about $1,500.
All of the money raised will benefit two summer camps: Southwind Young Life Camp in Ocklawaha and SharpTop Cove Young Life Camp in Jasper, Ga.
Chris James, 38-year-old Young Life Gainesville area director, said the point of the race was to have fun.
“This one was not a serious race,” James said. “The goal was to have a good time, dress up and be a little crazy.”
Josh Acree, 21-year-old psychology junior and Young Life member, prepared for the potential bellyache.
“Eating doughnuts and then running — that’s what I was excited for,” Acree said. “I took the whole day off from work just because I knew I was probably going to get sick.”
Among all of the participants, Perry Sweitzer, 20-year-old political science sophomore, was among those who gulped down all 12 of the sugary sweets. He said he thought of the kids he was raising money for to get him through the home stretch.
“It was surprisingly difficult to breathe,” Sweitzer said. “The doughnuts stopped tasting good after 11 of them.”
Racers take their marks at the start of the doughnut race in Westwood Middle School's parking lot at about 8:45 a.m. on Saturday. Participants had to eat a dozen doughnuts and run two miles.
