"Iggy’s Doughboy Dash," a race where runners must stop and eat a doughboy, is making a return.

The dash, which was not held last year, will be May 6. The dash benefits research into combating Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) and honors Andrew Martin and Zach McMillan, two boys from Warwick who suffer from the rare disease.

The dash kicks off at 9:30 a.m. at Iggy’s Doughboy & Chowder House at 889 Oakland Beach Ave., Warwick. All money raised from the event will go directly to the A-T’s Children’s Project.  

Andrew, who is now 18, graduated from Pilgrim High School last year and is currently taking some classes at the Community College of Rhode Island. Andrew’s favorite things include sports, especially football, and spending time with his brother, Brendan.

Zach, 12, attends Veterans Jr. High School, where he has been making the honor roll. He just finished his first season of unified basketball, and he loves swimming, video games, and going to PawSox games. 

A-T is a rare genetic disease that affects approximately one in 40,000 children. The disease causes progressive loss of muscle control, immune system problems, extreme fatigue, and a high rate of cancer.

Andrew has just undergone recent surgery for cancer in his arm. “ I had squamous cell cancer on my left arm where I had a granuloma since I was two.  The granuloma would get infections and ulcers. They had to amputate my arm last month because the cancer was aggressive. While I’m the only one the doctors know who has had this happen, I hope this will help other A-T kids by increasing awareness,” said Andrew in a statement.

There is currently no cure or treatment for A-T, but all proceeds from the dash will benefit the doctors and researchers at Johns Hopkins University that work with A-T patients from all over the world and strive to discover new things about the disease. 

Cathy Martin, mother of Andrew, came up with the idea of the Doughboy Dash in 2013 because she wanted to do something fun that entire families could get involved in. This year is expected to be the best yet, with Iggy’s, the event’s title sponsor, celebrating their 30th Anniversary this year.

“When the idea of the Doughboy Dash came about Dave Gravino, owner of Iggy’s, and his sister Maryanne jumped on board, ever since they have continued to look for new ways to help the Doughboy Dash grow and support the A-T Children’s Project”, said Cathy. Paul Masse Family Dealerships is the premier sponsor, and Cathy says, “they too have become a big part of the Doughboy Dash, we’ve been lucky to have their enthusiasm and support.”

The goal of the dash is to finish the 5K with the fastest time, while eating one large doughboy along the way. The doughboys will be handed out around the 2-mile mark, where participants will stop, eat the doughboy, and continue their run to the finish line. At this year’s event, the “High School Spirit Challenge” will be introduced. The challenge includes special $15 pricing for wearing your school’s shirt and a 5x100 challenge where after the 5K, participants will line up to eat 5 doughboys then run a 100 yard dash. The winner of the 100-yard dash will receive a $100 Iggy’s gift certificate and the school with the most amount of participants will win a gift certificate for their School Athletic Department. Following the event, Iggy’s provides clam cakes, chowder and doughboys to all participants. 

Registration for this event can be done online at www.atcp.org/DoughboyDash, the cost is $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Registration the day of can be done at the Iggy’s creamery window, but the price will be increased to $35 for both children and adults. Check-in will open at 8:00 a.m., and the event will officially begin at 9:30 a.m., rain or shine.