Donut racing, explained by someone who keeps winning it
Every donut you eat comes off your time. Here is how donut racing works, and what 26 races of data say about strategy.
By Yasir Salem · · 1 min read
Donut racing is a bike race with a buffet in the middle. You ride the course, you stop at the donut station, and every donut you eat is deducted from your time. At the Donut Derby in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania, each donut is worth a three-minute credit.
Eat enough and your adjusted time goes negative. You finish before you started.
The numbers
My archive has 26 donut races since 2014. Some highlights:
- 61 donuts at the 2017 Donut Derby, my best-ever donut race, for an adjusted time of minus 31 minutes.
- 50 donuts at Tour de Donut Illinois in 2015, for an adjusted time of minus 1:36:40, the best adjusted time in Illinois.
- 37 donuts at Tour de Donut Austin in 2017, setting the course records for donuts and adjusted time (minus 1:45).
- 22 donuts at the 2014 Donut Dash 5K, a running version, where I set the event records.
The titles
That adds up to 10 Tour de Donut overall titles, 2 Double D titles at the Ohio Tour de Donut, 3 Donut King awards for eating the most donuts, and 8 Donut Derby wins.
The whole record is in the donut racing results: donuts eaten, ride times, adjusted times and links to the official results where they exist.
