Running and baked products don't usually mix, but they have at Auburn since 1929.
Combing athletic prowess and delicious cake, the Omicron Delta Kappa Cake Race will hold its 85th annual Cake Race Wednesday, Oct. 9.
"Years ago they never allowed anyone to walk through the main entrance," said Mel Rosen, former head track and field coach for 28 years. "We used to have a Georgia Tech parade. Slowly, all those (Homecoming) traditions have been going down the drain, so the Cake Race is maybe the last of the traditions."
The race was created by olympic track coach Wilbur Hutsell as an open tryout to lure athletic freshman to the varsity track team, with cake and a T-shirt as the main prize for the top 25 runners.
During its prime in the pre- and post-war era, the Cake Race drew as many as 800 runners, all of them freshmen, but the turnout has fluctuated throughout the years. Though a track scholarship is not up for grabs in this race, Rosen has spotted a few quality runners at the Cake Race before, including one student who eventually won fourth at a conference meet.
"The pressure of school, having labs on Wednesday -- because its always on Wednesday -- prevented people from running," Rosen said. "So, we decided to allow anyone on campus to run, and so anybody can get involved with it."
Additionally, the top male and female runners at the competition will receive a kiss from Miss Auburn and the SGA President, respectively, at the awards and cake ceremony.
In the past, the cakes were baked by sororities, but for the last few decades many have been made by other competitors, or donated from local businesses.
"We ask for donations from different bakeries and grocery stores," said Kelly Cash, co-director of the Cake Race. "Everything else comes from the ODK fund, but T-shirts will also be sold (at the race) and given to the top 25 finishers."
Among the plethora of Homecoming traditions, the Cake Race is one of the oldest ongoing events, maintained throughout the years by Rosen after Hutsell's retirement. Generations of Auburn athletes, and would-be athletes, have competed for the glory of sport, and cake, for almost a century, with no plans to slow down or change.
"Other than it being something that we've done forever, its really brings people out for homecoming," said Harrison Hall, co-director of the Cake Race. "It's not really the track team looking for talent anymore; its more an opportunity that just kept going."
The race is free to enter. Those interested can visit the ODK website at Auburn.edu/ODK for more information.
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