What to know
- The Toronto Bakery Run, organized by Sunday Pace, is a 21-kilometre social half-marathon happening May 23 through the city’s west end.
- The route includes stops at nine local bakeries before finishing at Mirvish Village, blending running with food and community.
- The event has already sold out, with strong interest from both runners and participating bakeries.
- Experts say the stop-and-go format and mid-run pastries can be fun but require pacing, smaller portions, and proper hydration to avoid digestive issues.
Long runs would typically call for water stations and energy gels — but this upcoming half-marathon in Toronto comes with croissants.
On May 23, events company Sunday Pace will launch its first-ever Toronto Bakery Run through the city’s west end. The group, which started back in April 2025 as a run club out of Dundas West’s Sonndr Cafe, is building on its community-driven roots by spotlighting local businesses and Mirvish Village, which is currently undergoing redevelopment.
The concept is simple: a 21-kilometre route that kicks off at Organic Press Cafe, makes stops at nine local bakeries along the way, and wraps with a finish-line celebration in Mirvish Village.
The brains behind the operation are Sunday Pace founders, and partners in both life and business, Erfan Hakani and Andrea Delgado, who explain that the idea was inspired by similar bakery runs in Copenhagen and New York City, particularly those organized by Tipster.
“We were really inspired by them. Like, a bakery run, who wouldn’t want to do that?” Delgado said.
Buttery croissants, gooey cinnamon buns, fritters and a load of other sweet treats are on the menu from local shops such as Fab’s Donuts, Bakerbots, Primrose Bagel, Milky’s and more. Delgado says that the reception so far from the bakeries has been positive.
“They’re definitely excited,” she said. “The one thing that stands out is that these are all popular businesses in themselves, but they wanted to be a part of something fun.”
Delgado says registrations quickly exceeded expectations and have since closed, but that doesn’t mean the public can’t take part. Locals are encouraged to line the route, cheer on runners, and support the small businesses involved, with hopes this won’t be the last run of its kind in the months ahead.
“The demand is definitely there. I would say people are most excited about the pastries more than anything,” she laughed. “I think it’s possible that this could be an annual event or even a biannual event, something that happens in the spring as well as maybe in the fall.”
How will eating and running fare for the average runner?
Eating pastries mid-run and sharing the experience with others is part of the appeal, but it does come with a few caveats.
According to Tara Postnikoff, a registered nutritionist, head coach and founder of Healthy Eating Active Living, this kind of format can change how the human body handles such an enduring run.
“The stop-and-go nature of this event will make it more like an extended interval session and less like a traditional race,” she explains. “For some, this might be good as it will give them rest between kilometres and might make it easier. For others, they might stiffen up more with repeated stops.”
Her advice: don’t treat this like a race. A steady, conservative pace will go further than sprinting between bakeries.
Fueling is where things get especially interesting. While sugar-heavy foods can actually help during endurance efforts, the buttery, high-fat nature of many pastries can complicate things.
“Higher-fat options are not ideal for an endurance run because they will slow digestion,” Postnikoff says, noting that this can leave runners without quick access to the energy they think they’re getting.
Instead, she recommends smaller portions at each stop — enough for a boost, but not so much that it overwhelms the digestive system. Hydration is also key, especially if runners get distracted by the social aspect of the event.
“Consume smaller portions vs a full pastry at each stop,” she said. “This will provide a hit of energy without overburdening the digestive tract.”
Regardless, the run is expected to draw hundreds, if not thousands, of onlookers, and Delgado says that kind of energy is the whole point.
“It’s definitely rooted in community first, and that’s what our ethos is,” she explained.
“We’re really excited to work with [Mirvish Village] and to kind of give life to what was Honest Ed’s ground… and just making sure that we’re giving back to them in the right way.”
