BOZEMAN — Huffing for Stuffing is just around the corner, and there are around 3,000 people running this year. So, let’s hear some of their stories.
“So, we’re going to be looking out for 1187? She’s going to be the winner of the race?” I asked Jessie and Briana. “Oh. That’s my mother. So, no,” said Jessie with a giggle.
Since it first began in 2007, Huffing for Stuffing has become a popular race for the Bozeman community, taking place on Thanksgiving morning every year. And for some families? It’s something of a tradition.
“This is like my family's 10th? Ya, I was going to say like 10th or 11th,” say Jessie and Briana.
Some of those families even bring in the next generation to join in on the festivities.
“Who’s the fastest?” I asked a few youngsters. “Probably me. Ya, I’m pretty fast.” says Sutter, until his brother Sorn chimed in, “I’m fast too ya know!”
But for some folks? They’ve been running since the very beginning.
“I’d never gotten a medal for running in my life. And I got the gold medal for a 70-year-old the year I turned 70. Of course, I found out after I was the only 70-year-old to run the 10K. But I still cherish the medal,” says former Bozeman Mayor Carson Taylor as he walked me through his favorite Huffing for Stuffing race.
And former County Commissioner Don Seifert tells me he’s looking forward to his first race this year.
“Some friends and I thought it would be a fun thing to do. I’m 72 years old and I thought, let’s do it!”
Which is when the former mayor chimed in, “You could get a medal too, Don."
Another familiar face that’s been huffing for stuffing since the start?
“I was the turkey runner for the 5K, with a costume, for about 13 years. And I’ve retired from that duty. But now I get to run the 10k” says Rob Maher.
If you’ve participated in this race long enough, you’ve probably tried to beat Rob Maher, dressed in a turkey costume. Because if you did? You got a prize! And although Rob has passed the Turkey torch onto someone new, he tells me the community keeps drawing him back in.
“I did it long enough that when I first started? Some of the little kids, by the time I stopped, had grown up and were college students,” says Rob.
But as most people know, this race is about more than Thanksgiving.
“It’s become a pretty big fundraiser for the food needs of the community. And the needs are there all year round, of course. But this really is a good chance to remind us to give back a little bit, and keep in mind those that are less fortunate,” says Rob.
With nearly 3,000 folks signed up at a $30 signup fee, that’s a pretty good chunk of money going towards an even better cause. And after this race is all said and done? It’s turkey time!
“I love eating the turkey!” says brother duo Sutter and Sorn.
