Krispy Kreme London 50: The Most Delicious Ultra of the Year
Published: September 2026 | Written by Andy Hood
There's a very specific kind of madness that comes from designing your own ultra, and this year I'm running it for the third time. The Krispy Kreme London 50 is my own event, my own route, my own rules, and on 7th November 2026 I'll be lacing up to take on 50K across the capital, visiting 20 Krispy Kreme stores from Waterloo to Oxford Street, Canary Wharf to Clapham, all in support of ChemoHero. If you've seen me talk about the Krispy Kreme run on social media over the past few weeks, this is the full story behind it.
Table of Contents
What Is the Krispy Kreme London 50?
The Krispy Kreme London 50 is a solo ultra marathon of my own design. There's no start pen, no timing chip, no other runners lining up alongside me at the gun, because there is no gun. I'll be out there on my own, running roughly 50K through central and greater London, calling in at 20 Krispy Kreme stores along the way. It's not an organised event in the traditional sense, but I won't be entirely alone. Members of the Krispy Kreme team and friends will join me for stretches of the route throughout the day, popping in and out as the miles tick by.
I designed this run myself back in 2024, and it's grown every year since. This is the third time I've taken it on, and it's now firmly the highlight of my autumn calendar, if not the year.
The Route: 20 Stores Across the Capital
The route takes in 20 Krispy Kreme stores across London, starting at Waterloo and working through Oxford Street, out to Canary Wharf, and down to Clapham. It's a proper tour of the city, weaving through some of London's busiest streets and most recognisable landmarks, with a doughnut stop built into the route roughly every couple of kilometres.
Anyone who has run an ultra will know that fuelling matters, and I won't lie, having a plan built entirely around doughnut stops is a novelty even for someone who has run through a fair few aid stations over the years. It's also a genuinely brilliant way to see the city. You notice things at 50K pace that you'd miss in a car or on the tube.
Why the Krispy Kreme Run Isn't a Normal Ultra
I get asked a lot whether the Krispy Kreme run is something people can enter, and the honest answer is no, not in the way you'd enter the London Marathon or an Ultra Challenge event. This is my run. I designed it, I plan the route, and I'm the one out there covering every step of it.
What makes it special is who joins me along the way. Krispy Kreme shop teams come out to run sections with me, friends drop in for a few miles here and there, and by the time I reach the final kilometre, there's a proper crowd forming to walk it in together. It's less a race and more a moving celebration, one that happens to cover 50K of London and finish with a party.
This is my run. I designed it, and it's less a race and more a moving celebration.
From 2024 to 2026: How the Krispy Kreme London 50 Started
The Krispy Kreme London 50 started life in 2024 as a run entirely of my own making. I wanted to combine two things I love, running and doughnuts, with something that mattered far more than either: raising money for cancer charities. Since my own recovery from testicular cancer in 2021, I've dedicated myself to testicular cancer awareness campaigns, encouraging men to check themselves for the signs of testicular cancer, something I credit Jeremy Clarkson for prompting me to do in the first place, as well as fundraising for the wider cancer community. To date that fundraising total sits at over £28,000.
That inaugural 2024 run caught Krispy Kreme's attention, and in 2025 I returned to the London streets in full collaboration with them. They supported the run from the first step to the last, with doughnuts providing genuine fuel along the way and incredible support from the shop teams at every stop. The year culminated in me speaking at the Krispy Kreme national conference, where Rachel Corkett, Head of Customer Engagement, asked me on behalf of the senior management team whether I'd come back and do it all again for a third time.
The answer was obviously yes, and that's how we get to 2026.
Running for ChemoHero
This year's Krispy Kreme London 50 is raising money for ChemoHero, a cancer charity that provides Boxes of Kindness to patients at their very first chemotherapy treatment. ChemoHero was founded by the late Lisa Wallis in 2014, in North Devon, after her own experience of breast cancer treatment showed her just how frightening and isolating that first session can be. Each box is packed with dozens of practical items and small comforts designed to help with the side effects of treatment and to let patients know they're not facing it alone. Since Lisa's passing, her family and the team she built have kept her legacy going, and ChemoHero has now gifted thousands of Boxes of Kindness to patients starting their treatment.
ChemoHero was founded by the late Lisa Wallis in 2014, in North Devon, after her own experience of breast cancer
It's a charity that speaks to exactly the same thing I try to do with my own running and my Check Ya Balls work: taking something genuinely frightening, a cancer diagnosis, and making sure the people going through it know someone has their back. Being diagnosed with cancer was physically, mentally and emotionally one of the hardest things I've been through, and it's why I do everything I can to support others walking that same road. We're stronger together, and this run, my own design, through the capital, recognises just how tough that journey can be.
Krispy Kreme's Guy Meakin on the Partnership
Guy Meakin, Managing Director of Krispy Kreme UK, has thrown his full support behind this year's run and behind ChemoHero, and the pairing makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Boxes of Kindness from ChemoHero and Boxes of Smiles from Krispy Kreme are, as Guy puts it, a perfect partner for one another. Both are about turning up for someone on a hard day with something that says you're thought of.
The Krispy Kreme London 50 Finish: A Doughnut-Fuelled Party
This year's Krispy Kreme run is set to be the biggest one yet. The plan for the final kilometre is to slow right down to a walk, so that Krispy Kreme shop teams, family and friends can join me for that last stretch, chat, and cross the line together rather than watching me run off into the distance. From there, it's straight into a Krispy Kreme hosted party to celebrate, with family and many of the Krispy Kreme team and their families joining in too.
After 50K and 20 stores, I can tell you now, I will have earned that doughnut.
How You Can Support Andy's Krispy Kreme Run
If the Krispy Kreme London 50 has struck a chord, the best way to support it is by donating to ChemoHero through my JustGiving page. Every pound raised goes towards more Boxes of Kindness reaching patients on one of the hardest days of their treatment.
FAQ
What is the Krispy Kreme London 50?
The Krispy Kreme London 50 is a solo ultra run designed and run by Andy Hood, covering roughly 50K across London and visiting 20 Krispy Kreme stores. It's not an organised mass-participation event, though members of the Krispy Kreme team and friends join Andy for sections of the route throughout the day.
When is the Krispy Kreme London 50 2026?
The Krispy Kreme London 50 takes place on Saturday 7th November 2026.
Can I take part in the Krispy Kreme London 50?
You can't enter it as a race, since it's Andy's own solo run rather than an organised event. However, the final kilometre is designed as a walk that Krispy Kreme shop teams, family and friends can join, finishing together at a Krispy Kreme hosted party.
What is the route for the Krispy Kreme London 50?
The route runs roughly 50K across central and greater London, calling at 20 Krispy Kreme stores between Waterloo and Oxford Street, out to Canary Wharf and down to Clapham.
Why does Andy Hood run the Krispy Kreme London 50?
Andy designed the run in 2024 to combine his love of running and doughnuts with fundraising for cancer charities, following his own testicular cancer diagnosis in 2021. It's now in its third year, with Krispy Kreme as full partners since 2025.
What charity is the Krispy Kreme London 50 supporting in 2026?
The 2026 run is raising money for ChemoHero, a cancer charity founded by the late Lisa Wallis in North Devon in 2014, which provides Boxes of Kindness to cancer patients starting their chemotherapy treatment.
How can I donate to support Andy's run?
You can donate directly via Andy's JustGiving page, with all proceeds supporting ChemoHero's work providing Boxes of Kindness to chemotherapy patients.
Is this the same as the London Marathon or an Ultra Challenge event?
No. The Krispy Kreme London 50 is Andy's own solo event, with no official entry, timing or organised field of runners. It's a personal ultra run in collaboration with Krispy Kreme, not a mass-participation race.
If reading about the Krispy Kreme London 50 prompts you to donate, to check yourself for the signs of testicular cancer, or simply to go and buy someone a doughnut and check in on them today, that's exactly the point of this run.
About the Author
Andy Hood is an ultra and endurance runner, testicular cancer survivor and men's wellness advocate. Diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2021, he came back to running with a clear mission: to raise awareness of testicular cancer, encourage men to check themselves and talk openly about what they find, and support those going through cancer treatment.
He has since raised over £28,000 for cancer charities, taken on ultras across the UK and Europe, and founded Check Ya Balls, a range of men's underwear designed to keep the conversation going. Andy will run the Krispy Kreme London 50 for the third year running on 7th November 2026, in support of ChemoHero.
Read more of his race reports and cancer awareness writing at runningwestwardho.co.uk.
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