VIDEO: The gut-wrenching Highway 2 McDonald’s Challenge
You'll understand why the Highway 2 McDonald's Challenge in Kingston, Ont. has become an annual tradition after watching this recap.
Run 4K, consume a McDonald’s Double Big Mac meal and make the return trip.
That’s the name of the game at the Highway 2 McDonald’s Challenge, which celebrated its ninth anniversary on Saturday. The annual event, hosted by runners at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., is similar to the popular Krispy Kreme Challenge held each year in North Carolina.
From the Highway 2 McDonald’s Challenge website:
“Each contestant must make their way to and from McDonald’s under their own power. Each contestant must independently consume a meal consisting of one large fries, one large coke (or sprite), and a Double Big Mac. Meals will be pre-ordered. The food must be consumed at the tables outside, and contestants cannot leave until approved by race officials. Any competitor who pukes at any point during the race must run a penalty lap. No external help is allowed for athletes at any point during the competition.”
The distance to the McDonald’s, located at CFB Kingston, is, by car, 4.3K according to Google Maps, but runners reduce that through shortcuts and experience. The course records, 28:10 for men (Tyson Loney, 2015) and 34:50 for women (Jenn Dowling-Medley, 2014), live on until at least 2018.
RELATED: See photos from last year’s Highway 2 McDonald’s Challenge.
Thanks to having the fastest split time for the eating portion of the event, Adam Paquette, who attends Queen’s, was the victor in 34:04. No women competed. Paquette consumed all necessary food and drink in less than five minutes clocking 4:54. The winning trophy is called the Boyd Cup, in reference to Queen’s University cross-country and distance track head coach Steve Boyd.
RELATED: Krispy Kreme Challenge finishers eat 12 doughnuts, run 8K.
McMaster University athletes often make an appearance at the Queen’s-hosted event but members were unable to make the 2017 edition of the burger-eating and running challenge. According to the McDonald’s menu, a Double Big Mac contains 680 calories, large fries are 560 calories and a large drink (Sprite or Coke) is approximately 310 calories for a total calorie count of 1,550.