Huffing For Stuffing

On Thanksgiving morning 2004, race founders John Dudas and Tim went for a
run along the Linear and Sourdough trails. Their run was to commemorate the long-
standing holiday tradition of enjoying a Thanksgiving Day road race–quite common
among their east coast roots and most metropolitan areas of the country. 

John and Tim met again to enjoy their new annual tradition on Thanksgiving Day of 05'
and 06'. One of them pondered aloud “How cool would it be to have a Thanksgiving Day
run in Bozeman? I bet the community would support it. Look at how many people are
outside, anyway!” It was at that moment that John committed to starting an event for the
following Thanksgiving. Soon after, John garnered support from the Big Sky Wind
Drinkers running club.

Our name is entirely unique and was born of a message board survey on
Coolrunning.com asking for suggestions of the most bring-a-smile-to-your-face name
one could think of. Bill from Georgia offered “Huffing and Puffing for Stuffing” which was
by far the best of the 100+ suggestions offered.

Our inaugural race in 2007 had 931 participants and we donated proceeds of $8,000 to
HRDC’s Gallatin Valley Food Bank. In 2009 a committee was formed to build the race
into what it is today. Huffing For Stuffing has grown a bit since then, with 3,239
participants in 2024, but our community spirit and mission to support our food bank
stays the same.

The first year Bozeman Deaconess Hospital (Bozeman Health) was our home and since
2008 the Museum of the Rockies has been our host location. Over the years the gross
revenue generated has hit 1.6 million dollars with a net of 723,383. We love that this
has become a holiday tradition for many folks in our community.

● Largest # of participants was 2016 - 4,513
● Only five years did the race exceed 4,000 participants.
● 2025 will mark the 19 th year of Huffing for Stuffing

The race would not be without John, Tim and the Windrinkers. John passed away in
May of 2025. We run the 2025 Huffing for Stuffing in he and his family’s honor. They
gave their Thanksgiving’s to HRDC’s Gallatin Valley Food Bank for 18 years and by
doing so provided a holiday tradition as well as thousands of dollars to making sure
nobody goes to bed hungry.