Bucket List: 8 Wacky Food Races

Where: Raleigh, North Carolina

When: February 3, 2018

Approximate Number of Finishers: 1,650

Register: krispykremechallenge.com

Why Run It: For runners who like to carb-load midrun instead of beforehand, the Krispy Kreme Challenge is the ultimate caloric test. Take off on a 2.5-mile jog, eat a dozen—yes, 12—doughnuts, then run another 2.5 miles under the one-hour time limit. The 2,400-calorie contest, which benefits the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, was started as a dare among North Carolina State University graduates.

Where: Ann Arbor, Michigan

When: April 1, 2018

Approximate Number of Finishers: 600

Register: activeagainstals.org

Why Run It: This is no April Fool’s Day joke—Twinkie Run participants ought to love Twinkies. Before runners take a single step, they can consume one shrink-wrapped puffy pastry. Halfway through the three-mile race, they can wolf down another. The sugar rush isn’t the only perk—while Twinkie consumption isn’t mandatory, each Twinkie consumed shaves a minute off your finishing time. Grilled Twinkies are provided at the finish.

Where: Niagara, Canada

When: May 13, 2018

Approximate Number of Finishers: 860

Register: thechocolaterace.com

Why Run It: You’ve heard that chocolate actually has health benefits, right? Combine your two loves—running and chocolate—with this race. Devour chocolate-covered strawberries and chocolate-covered marshmallows during this 5K or 10K. There’s also a free chocolate martini at the finish line for every of-age participant, along with other sweet treats like truffles, fudge, and chocolate-filled croissants.

Where: Lyons, Colorado; Brevard, North Carolina

When: June 2, 2018; August 10-11, 2018

Approximate Number of Finishers: 1,000 runners per race

Register: burningcan.com

Why Run It: Recruit your best beer-chugging buddies and form a team for this relay, which involves multiple loops of a roughly 5K trail. Deduct two minutes off your team’s time by drinking 12 ounces of an Oskar Blues microbrew before each lap. In Colorado, the race lasts for four hours, and the team with the most laps covered the quickest wins. In North Carolina, the race lasts four laps, and the fastest team wins.

Where: Burlington, Vermont

When: July 14, 2018

Approximate Number of Finishers: 215

Register: brainfreezer5k.com

Why Run It: You’ll scream for ice cream—or because of the brain freeze said ice cream has given you—right in the middle of this 5K. Run 1.5 miles, down a pint of Ben and Jerry’s—or as much as you can take—and then hit the streets for the final leg. The 2015 flavors were Americone Dream, Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Runners who successfully complete the whole pint (and keep it down) are eligible for a separate class of prizes.

Where: New York City

When: TBD

Approximate Number of Finishers: 150

Register: http://nycpizzarun.com

Why Run It: Down three slices of authentic New York-style pizza during this two-mile looped run around the East Village’s Tompkins Square Park. If pizza isn’t your thing, there’s a sweeter sister event in October, the NYC Cupcake Run, also organized by the NYC Pizza Run guy Jason Feirman, a New York-based marketer and entrepreneur.

Where: Allentown, Pennsylvania

When: TBD

Approximate Number of Finishers: 110

Register: bacon5kchallenge.com

Why Run It: Runners must pig out on a half-pound of crispy bacon at the halfway point of this race, which is held in the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs minor-league baseball stadium. If that’s not enough, more bacon-themed delights, like bacon on a stick and chocolate-covered bacon, await finishers. Perhaps the best part of this bonanza? The scratch and sniff T-shirt runners receive prior to the race, meaning the amazing aroma can stay with you for days, weeks, even months on end (or 10 to 15 washes).