Sweet Agony: Polson runners experience death by doughnut

POLSON - There's probably no mile more har-rowing than the

doughnut mile run that the Polson cross country team does after

every season.

POLSON - There's probably no mile more har-rowing than the doughnut mile run that the Polson cross country team does after every season.

"We started the donut mile in 2007 as a fun sea-son finale event for the XC team," head coach Matt Seeley said. "The kids enjoy both eating and running so we decided to combine the two."

It's not for the weak-stomached, as coaches, kids and runners alike are required to eat an entire doughnut or maple bar be-fore crossing the starting line on a lap around the track at the Polson Sports Complex.

Competitors con-tinue the eating, with one doughnut for every lap until they've completed an entire mile.

"This is a competition of honor, so no cheating," See-ley said.

Judges, including fresh-man phenom Aja Starkey, were on hand to ensure that each competitor finished their pastries.

And if there's any up-chuckage?

"You are disqualified un-less you are willing to eat it again," Seeley said. "You have to keep it down."

Senior Mesa Starkey, who took eighth in state this year, had one blanket statement while working on her first doughnut before taking off on her first lap.

"This is brutal," she said.

It got worse. As the laps piled up, some competitors dropped off in running and eating time. Some were huddled over trash cans.

"I think I'm going to throw up," sophomore Travis Hayes said.

However, with reference to the intestinal fortitude of his runners, Seeley gave them a semi-comforting statement.

"You think you're about to [throw up] but it's tough to get doughnuts moving," he said.

Seeley has been in this spot before as he's run in a "Dirty Dozen" race - 12 laps, 12 doughnuts - and a two-mile pizza run.

"That was pretty grue-some but a few of us man-aged to finish," Seeley said.

There was some initial dispute between the com-petitors because some had elected to bring smaller cake donuts while others had brought larger dough-nuts or maple bars.

However that initial com-plaint died down when the runners realized this wasn't going to be an easy task either way.

"You have to eat the do-nuts very quickly in small bites and it really helps to wash then down with wa-ter," Seeley said. "As soon as your mouth gets com-pletely dry, the swallowing process freezes. It is also important to ease up on the pace as you finish each run-ning lap so you aren't too out of breath when you start eating the next doughnut."

Sometimes though, it takes good old willpower.

"Pain is temporary and pride is forever," Pirates assistant coach Jenni Brown said as competitors had doughtnut sprinkles floating in their eyes and probably the upper part of their digestive system.

Freshman Claudia Hewston, who had finished third at state, continued her impressive running by becom-ing the first ever female winner of the doughnut mile with a time of 10:25. She was followed in second by fellow freshman Tel Motichka with a time of 10:38 and Hayes in third with an 11:28.

"That's the thing about Tel, he'll probably be hungry for dinner in an hour," Seeley said.