Who knew an 8.7-mile ride atop a unicycle could taste so good? Mudd students. And they’ve known for 30 years.

On the weekend of daylight-savings time in April, students and alumni (some coming from as far away as the East Coast) top their unicycles and pedal eastward from Claremont to Glendora—all for a delicious (and free) strawberry donut.

The annual “Foster’s Run,” which made national headlines for its 30th anniversary in 2006, ends at Donut Man (formerly Foster’s Donuts). There, owner Jim Nakato greets the riders with his specialty: a large doughnut filled with fresh strawberries.

“We ride past about six other donut places on the way, but none are as good as the ones at Donut Man,” boasts the website for HMC’s Gonzo Unicycle Madness, the student group that organizes Foster’s Run.

Upon arrival, tradition calls for participants to perform the “Foster’s shakedown”: Riders dismount their unicycles, form a circle and jump up and down while spinning in place. It helps “put back parts that have been scrunched up by the journey,” explains Erik Shimshock ’06, former co-president of the unicycle club.

After the shakedown, it is time to indulge in the savory strawberry treats.

For the hearty unicyclists in the group, the doughnut provides just the needed boost to pedal another 8.7 miles in the opposite direction back to campus.