Krispy Kreme Challenge announces 2011 Silver Level Sponsors

RALEIGH, N.C. (January 19, 2011)—The organizing committee of the 2011 Krispy Kreme Challenge (www.krispykremechallenge.com), announces today silver level sponsors for the seventh annual event. Held in downtown Raleigh on February 5, 2011, the event benefits the North Carolina Children’s Hospital.

“The Krispy Kreme Challenge is a fun way to raise money for a good cause,” says Cindy Stranad, APR, Articulon principal and founder. “We are proud to sponsor the event and to support the North Carolina Children’s Hospital.”
Silver sponsors include:

•Articulon (www.articulon.com) – a brand communication and public relations firm
•Red Hat (www.redhat.com) – the leader in enterprise Linux and most recognized open source brand in the world
•The Athlete’s Foot Cameron Village (www.theathletesfootrdu.com) – a franchise athletic shoe store under local ownership in Raleigh.

With the support of its sponsors, the Krispy Kreme Challenge has grown from 10 participants in 2004 to an expected 7,500 participants this February. Registration has already exceeded 7,000.

“We are thankful for the community’s continued support of our event,” says Rebekah Jewell, North Carolina State University Park Scholar and public relations co-chair for the Krispy Kreme Challenge. “Without the contributions of our sponsors, our event would not be able to continue to grow as it has over the last seven years.”

To complete the Krispy Kreme Challenge, competitors begin at the N.C. State Bell Tower, run two miles to the Krispy Kreme store on Peace Street, eat a dozen glazed doughnuts, and then run two miles back to the Bell Tower—all in under one hour. The event is also open to casual runners, who are not required to eat the doughnuts, and to supporters who want to make a donation. Registration is available online at https://krispykremechallenge.worldsecuresystems.com/2011_registration.

Beginning as a dare between 10 N.C. State students in 2004, the competition has grown exponentially. Last year, 6,000 people participated and $55,000 was raised for charity. The event attracts a wide range of runners and enthusiasts from beginners to seasoned competitors hailing from all corners of the country. It has also been listed as #85 on the “102 More Things you Gotta Do Before You Graduate” list by Sports Illustrated.

About the Krispy Kreme Challenge:
Now in its seventh year, the Krispy Kreme Challenge has grown to an astounding 7,500 participants and was listed as #85 on the “102 More Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate” list by Sports Illustrated. Organizers wanted the challenge to be a unique tradition, but saw the opportunity to use it as a means to give back to the local community as well. It was no surprise when organizers selected The N.C. Children's Hospital as the beneficiary of this ultimate collegiate challenge. Visit www.krispykremechallenge.com for more information.

About Articulon:
Articulon impacts the way our clients communicate their brands and events to build stronger relationships with customers, sponsors, shareholders, employees and the community. With a customized approach, each campaign is measured by tangible results. With a commitment to responsiveness and creativity, Articulon works with professional service-based companies and associations as well as with organizations that promote cause-related initiatives to increase visibility especially in the health, wellness and environmental practice areas. Work has been completed for emerging brands and Fortune 500 companies including: Panera Bread, The American Kennel Club, Cranfill, Sumner and Hartzog, Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern North Carolina, Hughes Pittman & Gupton and Saks Fifth Avenue. Visit www.articulon.com or call 919.232.5008.

About The Athletes Foot Cameron Village:
The Athlete's Foot in Raleigh's Cameron Village (2035 Cameron St, (919) 828-3487), is a franchise store under local ownership. This allows customization of the store to meet Raleigh's unique market needs. Since 1994, TAF has established itself as the Triangle's leader in the technical running shoe business. Our mission is to professionally fit shoes in order to ensure our customers achieve their individual goals. Feel free to stop by to satisfy YOUR specific needs. If you have any questions about inventory or product availability, contact us via phone (919) 828-3487 or visit www.theathletesfootrdu.com.

About RedHat:
Red Hat, the world's leading provider of open source solutions and an S&P 500 company, is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina with more than 65 offices spanning the globe. CIOs ranked Red Hat as one of the top vendors delivering value in Enterprise Software for seven consecutive years in the CIO Insight Magazine Vendor Value survey. Red Hat provides high-quality, affordable technology with its operating system platform, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, together with virtualization, applications, management and Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) solutions, including Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization and JBoss Enterprise Middleware. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers worldwide. Learn more at www.redhat.com.

About the North Carolina Children’s Hospital:
The North Carolina Children's Hospital is a specially designed hospital that caters to the needs of children that are sick or injured, and their families. The state-of-the art facility was designed with children in mind, and provides conveniences to the patients that help them to just be kids, such as a two-story play atrium designed to look like an outdoor park. In addition, the hospital has North Carolina’s only fully accredited hospital school, which keeps patients from kindergarten to 12th grade on top of their studies. The medical amenities include a newborn critical care facility, a cardiac care unit, and a comprehensive cancer center. For more information, visit www.ncchildrenshospital.org.

About the Krispy Kreme Challenge:
Now in its seventh year, the Krispy Kreme Challenge has grown to an astounding 7,500 participants and was listed as #85 on the “102 More Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate” list by Sports Illustrated. Organizers wanted the challenge to be a unique tradition, but saw the opportunity to use it as a means to give back to the local community as well. It was no surprise when organizers selected The N.C. Children's Hospital as the beneficiary of this ultimate collegiate challenge. Visit www.krispykremechallenge.com for more information.

Krispy Kreme Challenge
The Park Scholarships Office
Campus Box 7009
Raleigh, NC 27695

Media Contact:
Brian Van Norman
919-232-5008
brian@articulon.com

This release was published on openPR.