Running burns calories, but some participants took in more calories than they worked off in the 5K Doughnut Run sponsored by the Iowa State Triathlon Club Sunday at Brookside Park. For each 200-calorie Krispy Kreme doughnut eaten during the race, time was taken off to improve the runner’s score.

One-hundred and six people came from all over Iowa for the run, a fundraiser to help 16 Triathlon Club members attend a national competition in Phoenix, Ariz., in a few weeks. For $15 and the stamina to run or walk 3.1 miles, the participants could eat as many doughnuts as they wished.

Participants had to be off the path while they ate. Doughnuts eaten on the run, or that runners could not keep down, didn’t count.

“We really only had, like, two or three people barf,” said Laura Riley, a Triathlon Club member and sophomore in animal science. She handed out doughnuts at the third aid station.

The first doughnut eaten improved a runner’s score by 15 seconds. The second doughnut was worth 30 seconds, the third doughnut was worth 45 seconds, and every doughnut after that was worth a full minute.

There were four doughnut aid stations, each stocked with 204 doughnuts at the beginning of the race, so runners who stopped at every station going out and coming in could have seven doughnut breaks.

Alex Syhlman, Triathlon Club president and senior in management information systems, said participants ate between 1 and 19 doughnuts during the race.

Other participants held off until after they finished and didn’t eat any doughnuts as they walked or ran.

“When you get breathing hard, [eating doughnuts] doesn’t sound good,” said Carrie Barr after she walked through the finish line. Barr, of Marshalltown, participated in the Doughnut Run with her daughter, Heidi. Her son, Barrett Barr, is a member of the Triathlon Club and junior in materials engineering.

About 30 Triathlon Club members and their recruited family and friends helped with the race Sunday morning, arriving as early as 6:30 am. Runners started showing up at 7:30 am.

“Judging by the success we’ve seen today, I’d say that yes, this will be an annual fundraiser for our team,” Syhlman said.

The top three runners, doughnut runners, and teams received prizes and every participant received a 16 oz. Doughnut Run glass.