Baker's Dozen Half Marathon

The Race Where You Gain Weight

The Baker's Dozen Half Marathon is the least serious race on the southern Utah calendar, and that is the whole idea. It is run on a loop of a little over three miles at Three Falls Park in Hurricane, and at the end of every loop sits the aid station the organizers call the Sugar Shack: donuts, cupcakes, cookies and other pastries in place of the usual gels and orange slices.

The rule that defines the race is printed on the registration page. Half marathon finishers earn their medal only by eating a treat each time they pass the Sugar Shack, three times in all, and volunteers check. Relay runners need to eat one. Do not enter if you were planning to skip the calories.

Three Ways In

There are three events on the same morning:

• Half marathon: four laps of the loop.
• Relay: a team splits the distance, with each member running one 5K lap. Teammates can run their laps together or separately.
• 5K: a single lap, billed by the organizers as "just barely over 5K".

Because every event uses the same loop, the race is unusually social. You pass the same spectators, and lapped runners and leaders share the course all morning, which suits groups of friends with very different paces.

Why a Loop Course Works Here

A short loop solves the problems of a December race. Spectators can see their runners four times without driving anywhere, the aid station is visited on every lap without a separate support crew, and nobody ends up alone on a remote stretch of highway in winter. Three Falls Park, on the east side of Hurricane, keeps the whole race inside one park, so parking, restrooms and the finish line are a short walk apart.

A Winter Race Calendar

The Baker's Dozen is run by the Underground Runner Series and has settled on the second Saturday of December. It is one of a run of cool-weather races that make southern Utah a winter running destination; the February half on the Virgin River trails and the Southern Utah Half Marathon are the serious counterparts for anyone who wants a fast course without the frosting.

Hurricane rewards staying past the finish: the town's trailheads, cafes and red-rock backdrop are laid out in our guide to Hurricane and La Verkin. If the Sugar Shack was the highlight, the dessert and ice cream guide is a better use of the afternoon than a recovery shake.

Who It Suits

First-time half marathoners who want a gentle, supported course, groups of friends who want a relay, and anyone who thinks race-day nutrition should involve a maple bar. A stopwatch is beside the point here; nobody sets a record with frosting on their hands.