Chapel Hill ushered in the town’s newest tradition this year–the Dozen Doughnut Dash. On October 1st, runners completed 2.5 miles, downed a dozen doughnuts and continued to run for another 1.5 miles.
The race course was lined with disposable trashcans and each runner was given a “barf bag” with their race number. I know, I know; it doesn’t sound glamorous. I hear you all asking, “What would possess anyone to want to do that?”
Simple answer: it helps fight cancer.
The proceeds of the race go straight to Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of the leading cancer centers in the nation that is tucked neatly within UNC Hospitals. What more of a reason to eat do you need?
Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of the race is that it was organized solely by a group of 25 UNC undergraduates who were led by two sophomores: Bobby Mook and Ty Fenton. This group is ambitious to say the least. After over a year of planning, these boys and their crew saw their dreams come true. The race became a reality–starting line, throw up and all.
And it was a successful reality at that.
The Dozen Doughnut Dash raised more than $8,000 for Lineberger in its first year. The race was sponsored by prominent businesses such as Nike, Fleet Feet, PHE, Inc., Eurosport, Jimmy John’s and Domino’s. The starting shot was fired by Eric Montross, a former UNC basketball player. Even Mia Hamm got in on the action and donated a signed soccer ball for a raffle.
Did I mention that this is the first race these two strapping young men have ever put together? I know, I was impressed too.
The team advertised the Dozen Doughnut Dash by plastering campus with bright fliers and holding doughnut-related activities in The Pit. One of these was a doughnut eating contest between “civilians” and ROTC students from the Army and the Navy. Surprisingly, civilians won.
When I asked Ty and Bobby why they decided to take on such a huge responsibility, they responded with ease.
“We are doing everything we can to simply make the DDD a way for students to have fun,” said Fenton and Mook, “the DDD brings the community together to have a good time, eat doughnuts and raise money to fight cancer.”
Activities that can take away the sadness of cancer and replace it with hope is a feat in itself. These boys and their team have taken it one stop further and made it entertaining. One team member stated, “It’s easy to get bogged down with the weight of such a heavy thing as cancer but we have to help the community remember there’s still a silver lining; there’s still hope. Every day we get one step closer to finding a cure. If that doesn’t want to make you want to eat a doughnut, I don’t know what does.”
Sources:
DDD in the Pit (Photo): Kari Solmaz
Doughnut Eating Contest (Photo): Kari Solmaz