February: Hot Breakfast Month Applied

For all those who are unaware, February is National Hot Breakfast month. I know…get excited. In order to celebrate as I should, I woke up extra early every morning this week in order to prepare a warm meal to start the day off right. As a result, I have perfected the art of single serving biscuits and gravy. Tarragon lends an added sweetness to the biscuits that instantly classes them up. I also gave birth to cocoa French Toast in which I added a bit of cocoa powder to increase the depth of flavor. I topped each piece with a black raspberry compote that was all at once sweet, sour, and a full serving of fruit. The result may have looked like tar, but it tasted like heaven. Who doesn’t need a bit of chocolate in the morning? Other days were slightly less exciting with oatmeal and things of that nature, but I certainly have plans for other dishes that I am extremely excited to concoct.



Now…quick trivia question. Which breakfast food item has the highest transformation in goodness based on its temperature? Unless you answered the Krispy Kreme doughnut, you are wrong. A cold Krispy Kreme doughnut is good, but too sweet and frankly not that special. Its counterpart is light and doughy with a sweet, unobtrusive finish. They melt in your mouth and can only be enjoyed with your eyes closed, so you can more intensely focus on each chew before it leaves you. Well, it is very convenient that these pillows of sugary goodness have this transformative property in this month, because this morning was Raleigh’s Krispy Kreme Challenge.



What is the Krispy Kreme Challenge? It is a test of physical ability and digestive fortitude. Run 2 miles. Eat 12 doughnuts. Run 2 miles back. Of course I had to sign up, I had heard of this race long before I moved to Raleigh and I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to subject myself to such masochism. As I woke up this morning, I questioned my decision to sign up for something so outlandish that was taking place on a cold and drearily soggy day in February. After steadily ticking through the excuses in my head and realizing that none were worthwhile, I laced up my shoes and headed into the abyss, gaining enthusiasm with each step forward and each future challenger passed. There is something refreshingly beautiful about walking around on a crisp morning before the world has gotten out of bed.

As I neared the race sight, booming music and crowds of people started swarming my senses. People in full body speed skater-like suits, people dressed up as doughnuts, fishing poles with doughnuts hanging from them, people jumping, and techno music blaring. Since when did raves become morning, outdoor activities? After a few announcements and formalities including the ceremonial giving of $40,000+ dollars to the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, the race was off. Hoards of people inched across the starting line and after a few minutes, the group spread out a bit. People all around had an air of excitement, there was even a guy dressed up as a banana and a guy dressed up as a gorilla chasing each other around.



Tension mounted with the final approach off the Krispy Kreme. The crowd started to thicken and tables of white boxes lined the oasis. As I grabbed my dozen, I noted people all around me at various points of the race. There were some people who had smashed their doughnuts- four at a time into piles to wantonly shove down their gullets as quickly as possible. Other people calmly sat with their boxes, chatting away. There were television cameras and people shouting words of encouragements through megaphones. I nonchalantly chowed down one doughnut…and then a second. I believe that is officially the most I have ever eaten at one time. I was hungry! I could have gone for a third, but then decided that I didn’t want to consume more calories than I would burn by running. Ok…so maybe they weren’t hot, but I still think it counts under the month’s breakfast pattern.



I tucked the remaining 10 doughnuts under my arm and was on my way again a few minutes later. While the return trip was a bit more difficult for me, I don’t think it was nearly on the same level as some of my fellow competitors. While I was experiencing a bit of fatigue, they were experiencing severe gastro-intestinal issues. There was an added challenge of dodging the land mines of bile and sugar along with the occasional keeled-over runner. There also were crowds of people screaming their support for each subject to such a crazy game. I crossed the finish line as Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ played. I felt so good.



I can’t help but wonder what an outsider from a foreign planet, or even a foreign country would think as he observed this morning’s events. Surely they must be running from something, right? Surely they won’t get more food for a long time, right? Wrong. 4 miles, 1 hour, 12 doughnuts, 2400 calories. Mostly just fun supporting a good cause. I walked home feeling good and listening to proud racers regaling stories of their gustatory failures and triumphs. There was a sense of comradery that clung to the air…we all knew there was some crazy in the midst. I passed one guy who asked,
“Did you eat all 12?”
“No, just 2. How about you”
“Well I ate all 12…and then un-ate all 12”
How often do you get a young guy who is so eager to tell recount his last hour, spent upchucking, to a foreign young girl? It’s all in a day’s work.
As a made my way back to my house, flurries started to fall. I imagined each flake as a sugar crystal, blessing my morning’s activities.

There is a video by ESPN that features my Exercise Nutrition professor and students from a past section of my Exercise Nutrition class, relating to the Krispy Kreme Challenge.