Ice Cream Challenge 2023

The 5th Annual Ice Cream Challenge was held again on Memorial Day this year, and there was another great turnout.

RD Joe giving the race brief

We stuck with last year’s format - JV and Varsity divisions. Here’s how it works:

Varsity: Eat the ice cream treat specified below, then run the 1-mile neighborhood out-and-back. (8 miles total).

Loop 1: Snickers ice cream bar

Loop 2: Klondike Bar

Loop 3: Drumstick

Loop 4: Ice Cream sandwich

Loop 5: Snickers ice cream bar

Loop 6: Klondike Bar

Loop 7: Drumstick

Loop 8: Pint of ice cream!

JV: Eat the ice cream treats specified for loops 1-4 above. Same 1-mile loop. (4 miles total).

There are always some dramatic story lines at this race, and this year was no exception. Let’s start with Varsity..

Only 6 brave, foolish souls attempted Varsity this year, which, if you’ve read the requirements above, shouldn’t be too surprising. This year I thought it was pretty wide open, with 4 speedy dudes in the mix - Matt S (defending champion), Ulises (last year’s runner up), Chase (last year’s 3rd place finisher), and Kwok - a first-timer but incredibly speedy. Rounding out the field would be Chris R. and I, battling for DFL.

6 people that make poor life decisions

Ulises took off in what seemed like a dead sprint. The dude meant business, and (for some reason) seemed to take this competition very seriously!

Ulises opened up an early lead

Chase stayed close. From my vantage point, in the middle laps Ulises tended to eat faster, leaving the start/finish area first, but Chase would make up time on the run.

Chase was still smiling in the early going

The battle for first was really between those two. At stake was a night at the Hauk’s luxurious B&B in Wimberly (Creekhaven Inn & Spa), a massage from Alex2, and the usual trinkets for top 3 in each division.

Finishing mile 7 and headed towards the pint, Chase had about a 1-minute lead on Ulises. Last year, the pint was Chase’s downfall, but this year he perfected his technique (mixing it with water 🤮) and actually turned it into an advantage! It was all over at that point, and Chase became the new course record holder and the first to break under the 1-hour barrier, in an incredible 57:55. Not since Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile has the world seen a performance like that!

Ulises, despite reports of chunks of his ice cream ending up on the ground, could not hang with Chase, but finished in a very respectable 1:02.

Kwok, considering this had to be his first experience with that much sugar and lactose in his system, did quite well, earning 3rd place in 1:10. In contrast to Ulises, Kwok was witnessed picking up a stray chunk of ice cream off the ground and eating it, truly embodying the spirit of this race! Matt S, possibly feeling that he’d already been at the top of this sport, and accomplished all there was to accomplish, finished in 4th.

Kwok (L) and Matt (R)

Joe and Chris battled to avoid DFL (dead last), and luckily for Joe, he had a big enough head start on the pint to hold off Sweet Chris. I think some people got bored and left, while waiting for us to finish.

Joe finished about where he always does

Chris lobbies for less running every year

Varsity podium - just imagine the pride they must feel!

Ok, onto JV which had significantly more participation, and also its fair share of drama!

Elizabeth performing JV roll call

The favorite going in was clearly (to me) Asa - he won last year over Christine and has only been getting faster in high school. Oh, and he’s Liza’s kid, so…. However, I got it wrong this year!

Larry K was the fastest out of the gate - he was not messing around. In fact, he was first to finish mile 3 and start on the ice cream sandwich. Unfortunately, he thought it was over after eating it. I remember being confused as to why he wouldn’t go finish (I figured he’d DNF’d, as many do), but, hey, I had my own issues. When he found out that he’d misinterpreted the rules, which, I suppose could’ve been laid out more clearly, Don F remarked, “It’s like a TROT race, you never know what you’re supposed to do.” Ouch, Don, ouch.

If Larry ever returns, he’ll be a favorite!

Thus, it came down to Asa and Christine, who were running neck and neck the entire race. Christine had an advantage, leading Asa by maybe a couple hundred meters to start mile 4, but with his HS kid speed, Asa still had a great shot. However, the speedy Christine would not be denied this year. She finished in 36:30, just 5 seconds ahead of Asa - what a battle!

Christine is the new JV champ!

Asa - savoring the drumstick (maybe too much)

Rounding out the podium was former Varsity champ Tom. Even when he’s not at his best, Tom’s a force in this competition!

The JV podium

The First Couple of ICC

The impressive performances in JV didn’t stop at the podium though.

Rockhopper legend Tony M brought his young grandson Tony, who finished all 4 laps.. and would you believe he still had room for a pint after the race?! Future podium winner, for sure.

The younger kids sticking with it was a theme! Aurora, paced by father Glenn, also had an impressive finish - there was never a doubt she’d finish what she started! Ruby, Elle, Brooke, Jacob, Vincent, and Alyssa were also seen outrunning the adults at various points.

Tony was quite impressive in his RH debut

Aurora & Glenn - she had the ultra drive!

Ruby and Brooke with their adults (Liza & Don)

Also finishing the JV race (which I can’t emphasize enough is very difficult to do) was Daniel, Alex2 and son Antonio, and Emmanuel. Eating that much ice cream and making it 4 miles in the hot sun is no joke, and I couldn’t be more impressed with all our participants.

We’re also eternally grateful to our two lead volunteers, Jess and Elizabeth, without whom this race could not occur (we’ve got too many kids to be able to pull it off ourselves!). Huge thank you, ladies, as well as to your assistants that chipped in!

Elizabeth hard at work

Jess dressed for the part

And special thanks to Don & Helena Hauk, who donated a night at their B&B (Creekhaven Inn and Spa), as well as Alex who donated a foot massage (Kneaded for Life) for the Varsity winner!

Finally, thanks to all our gawkers - the number of spectators always makes this race. Hopefully y’all enjoyed some ice cream and good company!