Candy Cane Course North KC
Liberty, MO
- 12K, 5K, 1 Miler, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Join us for the annual Candy Cane Course 5K & 12K in Liberty, MO! A fun, Christmas-themed event that is perfect for the whole family. The fun includes: – Great Swag: designer shirt & custom medal– Chip-timing with live results and awards– Free photos– Delicious Treats waiting at the finish line– Plenty of fun! Grab … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Dec 14):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 24 | 46 | 55 | 40 | 65 |
| L (°F) | 6 | 36 | 34 | 29 | 45 |
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No glitz, but full of spirit
While I was initially thinking that there was nothing particularly standout about the Candy Cane 12k, it actually hit all the marks of a good December race. Indoor restrooms = … MORE
While I was initially thinking that there was nothing particularly standout about the Candy Cane 12k, it actually hit all the marks of a good December race.
Indoor restrooms = yes
Santa Claus photos = yes
Crewneck sweatshirt = yup
A medal worthy of all the envy of other Christmas-themed races = you betcha (how often do you get a wooden nutcracker that doubles as an ornament?)
Straightforward back and out double loop 12k course = yeah
Appropriately stationed water aid station and finish line goodies = check and check
The fanfare is minimal, but that is expected. I don’t say this as a slight to the race company. If it were not for Bodies Race Company I would not be running. When I first started running, they gave me the confidence to run and the “okay” to be the last runner. I remember crossing the finish line as the last runner and being cheered on as if I had just won first place. I am glad to report that this supportive culture still exists. On this cold December morning, the crowd was small but the finish line and its goodies remained intact as the finishers crossed. Yup, while perhaps on the smaller scale of things, Bodies races really do support every runner to get out there and move.
Now, the course itself could be considered residential. We started at the local community center, veered into the main road before turning left into the park, which is nicely nestled within a quiet neighborhood. I wouldn’t classify the course as rolling hills, but there were definitely some gentle inclines. The park has one somewhat steep incline, but is over before you can really start to curse it out. Last year, I walked the 5k course, so it was nice to do the full 12k route this time around. The cold definitely settled in and it took me nearly the entire race to warm up. Yes, winter is upon us.
The Candy Cane 12k used to be held in Downtown Lee’s Summit, which I really loved and was sad to see that it is no longer being used. Nonetheless, I’m glad to run the Liberty course as a replacement. Bodies did have two other local races in Lee’s Summit (Longview Lake) and Parkville (English Landing Park), but I have no desire to run the same medal race three times. That is just madness! In any case, I look forward to next year’s race. Hopefully, by then I will be warm enough to get out of the cold faster.
Simple course with plenty of room
At 11 degrees this was the coldest race start of the season so far and a nice reminder what January will be like. Having already done this race in Tulsa, … MORE
At 11 degrees this was the coldest race start of the season so far and a nice reminder what January will be like. Having already done this race in Tulsa, the swag was another nice nutcracker ornament and a midweight sweatshirt that’s already gotten some use on subsequent cold running days, keeping the single digit windchill away without getting sweaty. Some chocolate milk and other snacks were available at the finish, thankfully not frozen.
This course is two out and backs for the 12k with a water point at the 5k turnaround. Works out great unless you’re a heavy drinker on very slight rolling hills, in which case bring your own. It’s a fast course despite my mediocre time, because the combination of PR attempt yesterday (fail) and the shockingly cold wind, I took the day to help pace two other people instead of going all out. The first nearly mile is in one closed off lane of the road before moving into park, where the slight rollers begin. There’s only one hill to really hurt your pace, but it’s probably only 50 meters long. The bridges were not iced this year, a welcome change from prior years, so if you get that setup and really want to “show up”, it is an easy course to do it for.
Great mix of a course
The first mile or so of the course is in one lane of a closed down road then hard left turns into a park for a really nice, and admittedly … MORE
The first mile or so of the course is in one lane of a closed down road then hard left turns into a park for a really nice, and admittedly somewhat challenging (without being punitive). There are twists and turns and hills (though no real long ones) and woods and bridges, but whatever isn’t on the road is on a very wide paved park path, so no off-roading here. The loops and turn backs are actually nice on this one, as you’ll have plenty of other racers to watch and yell encouragement to as you weave through the park. One small hill about half a mile from the finish line, but crest that and it’s flat up until the last 100 meters which is downhill into a parking lot. The 12k is two laps with a turnaround a little further out than the 5k turnaround. My only gripe is the same as last year. The wooden bridges get slick in the morning dew and could use some sand thrown on them. I saw a couple runners go down on them so just accept you won’t PR here and walk the dozen or so feet across them. The sweatshirt was really soft and will probably actually get worn outside of races and the medal was a huge Rudolf in a snow globe design. It really was on par with a lot of half marathon medals I have, so if you are like me and like chasing the bling, this is a great race for you. I went back for a buddy who was struggling with a new distance, so no PR for me, but despite that it was a pretty fast course despite the hills. I’d be hard pressed to say it’s PR-able, but you won’t be disappointed with your time, and the production crew makes every runner feel like they’re arriving with the Olympic torch. Absolute do-again race.
Excellent park and road race
This one is hard for me. I was nursing a bad knee today so my time was off, but I feel like it could have been a fast course. Probably … MORE
This one is hard for me. I was nursing a bad knee today so my time was off, but I feel like it could have been a fast course. Probably not PR material because of the hills (none too bad, but many small ones), but a fast one none the less. I had a maximum time I wanted to come in under, and I did, but my splits were way off from normal. Overall I’m only saying 4 on difficulty because as a double out-and-back, you get just as much downhill as uphill, so race strategically. The first couple miles were in one lane of the road, but there was a parallel sidewalk as well that fast runners could take advantage of to pass the clog-ups at the beginning. The scenery was nice, both on the road and in the park, with plenty of varied terrain to take advantage of. This is not a “trail run” though, as it’s all on a doublewide (or wider) path once you hit the park. The swag was the same as yesterday, being another Candy Cane race, but the swag was amazing, so I’m not complaining there. My only gripe is there were with mile markers. There was a 5k and a 12k, so out to the 5k turnaround, then out another half km to the 12k turnaround, then do it twice. There were no mile markers after 3 and since they were for the 5k they didn’t correspond to the multiples on the 12. It would have been nice to have color coded markers out for both race, because I like seeing them on the course as motivation to maintain pace.
Also, the free coffee truck returned for another showing. Huge plus on that one.
I really loved yesterday’s Candy Cane course, and as much as it pains me to say it, if I could only do one next year it would probably be this one, but I’m hoping that both will be do-agains.