Atkins dieters need not apply — this Sunday’s doughnut run promises to be a high-carb calorie fest with a serving of exhaustion on the side.

The ISU Triathlon Club is holding its second annual doughnut run Sunday at Brookside Park in Ames.

Last year’s race was the first of its kind for the ISU club, but it quickly became the club’s biggest fund-raiser of the year. Club president Luke Anderson, junior in agricultural systems technology, said the money raised will go directly toward helping the club go to Lake Havasu City, Ariz., to compete in the Collegiate National Triathlon on April 24.

The doughnut run is a 5-kilometer footrace with one interesting twist. Spread throughout the course are eight doughnut stations, with volunteers eagerly awaiting the arrival of exhausted racers. But rather than replenish the racers with water or Gatorade, the doughnut station volunteers give the racers — you guessed it — doughnuts.

The doughnuts mean two things to race participants. First, they mean sideaches; second, the total number of doughnuts consumed during the race equals an amount of time to be subtracted from the racers 5-K course time. In other words, the more doughnuts a racer can eat during the race, the more time that will be subtracted from his or her race time.

“We will be having four themes that will host each of the doughnut stations,” Anderson said. “[There’s] a Western, Hawaiian, ’80’s disco and toga theme.”

The idea for the race came from former ISU students Mark Karl and Alex Sylman as a way to get more people involved in the fund-raiser, Anderson said.

“We wanted to appeal to a large group of runners. A 5-K run appeals to the competitive runner and the doughnuts appeal to, well, everyone,” Anderson said. “The doughnuts really add spice to the run and give everyone a chance at winning. Even if you’re not strong in one discipline of the race, you can still have a chance at winning with your other strengths, such as eating doughnuts.”

Last year’s race was a tremendous success for the triathlon club. The race had 115 participants, and Anderson is expecting even more this year.

“This year, we hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did and expect many people to return,” Anderson said. “Plus, we have been spreading the word about the race since last Thanksgiving, so we are expecting about 150 participants.”

One thing interested runners should keep in mind is that the doughnuts only count toward your time if you manage to cross the finish line with the doughnuts still in your stomach.

The doughnut run will be held at 9 a.m. Sunday at Brookside Park.