Winter Garden PAL rolls with annual Donut Dash 5K

Winter Garden’s sweetest 5K returns Nov. 2.

The Winter Garden Police Athletic League’s 2024 Donut Dash is set for 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, beginning at 1 Surprise Drive, in downtown Winter Garden.

Participants are invited to run or walk through the timeless neighborhoods and down by Lake Apopka.

Here is how it works. You can run this just like a regular 5K, or you can do so while eating Krispy Kreme donuts.

Every donut eaten in one of the three “donut zones” will take 30 seconds off a participant’s final run time. Anyone who eats 12 or more donuts will receive an additional bonus of 1 minute per donut (over 12) taken off their final run time.

“Donut zones” will be located at the 1-mile, 2-mile and 3-mile marks. All donuts must be finished in the “donut zones.” All registered participants will receive a race medal.

Each adult entry comes with free children’s entries into the kid’s mini-donut fun run. The mini donut fun run is a 1/2 mile run (or as far as they can go) during which kids ages 5 to 12 also can run and eat a donut. 

The event also will feature live music, sponsor tents and giveaways.

The Police Athletic League provides a free, eight-week summer camp for 140 underprivileged and at-risk kids. Additionally, the PAL provides a Holiday Gift’s for Kids Program that supplies holiday gifts to about 400 local in-need children who would most likely go without during the holiday season.

To register, click here.