What to know
- Toronto walking club Steppin’ with Sara, founded by Sara Marino, returns in May to bring people together across the GTA through free, social walks and local business collaborations.
- What began in 2025 with small groups grew to weekly walks of about 50 people across cities like Vaughan, Bolton, and Markham.
- The club emphasizes inclusivity and connection, helping attendees build friendships in a welcoming environment.
- Its travelling format and partnerships with local businesses, offering perks like discounts and freebies, have helped set it apart, with the May 9 kickoff walk already sold out.
A walking club in Toronto is starting up in May, with hopes to bring together communities across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), while also working with local businesses.
Sara Marino is the founder of Steppin’ with Sara, a walking club based around the city, unique for its travelling nature and connection with local businesses.
“As someone who’s from the suburbs and from the GTA, I’m always looking for fun and different things to do, either by myself, with my friends, with my boyfriend, whoever, in the GTA,” Marino told Now Toronto.
Marino said the idea stemmed from the desire to hang out with like minded people, but without having to make the gruelling trek to downtown Toronto to access popular businesses and areas. She added that she began seeing a surge of run clubs, which also inspired her.
“I hate running. I personally cannot run, but I love to go for walk” she said.
Marino said she would go on walks with her boyfriend and friends, and check out local coffee shops and stores along their route. Realizing the benefits of getting together in the city, Marino soon organized the walking group in 2025.
“I ran it from May to October. In May, we still had the April showers, so we didn’t have that good of a turnout,” Marino said.
She said she was close to cancelling the group, but her small turnout of four guests told her to continue, and how beneficial the walk was for them.
“There were 15 walks total all throughout the GTA locations like Vaughan, Bolton, Markham… and then in October, I did my final one,” Marino explained. “We had a really good turnout. By the end, there were about 50 people coming to the walks on a weekly basis.”
Marino said the walks help people foster community and make friends with other attendees.
“A lot of girls became friends from the walk club too, which is really nice,” she explained. “They were scared, came by themselves, and they ended up actually creating their own little friend group from it, and they still hang out to this day.”
She also said the environment is welcoming, and anyone who is on the shy side has nothing to worry about.
“This isn’t a Mean Girls Club,” Marino reassured. “It’s a very welcoming community. If they just let me know, ‘Hey, I’m here by myself,’ I myself will still make that effort to stick with them throughout the walk, or get my friends to stick with them.”
Marino doesn’t charge for the walks, as it’s something she says she’s passionate about and wants it to remain accessible for those trying to connect with others.
She was also able to involve multiple local businesses across different cities on the cause.
“I really started focusing on collaborating with small businesses to host the meetups,” she said. “We would meet there, go for a walk and [meet] back there, [then] they’d give us a discount or some free samples.”
Soon, bigger brands would also reach out to Marino, at times providing attendees with freebies, such as energy drinks and granola bars.
Her local business support, as well as ability to move from city to city, is something Marino says sets herself apart from other walking groups.
“People see how good of an idea it is, how inclusive it is,” Marino said. “A lot of people do love enjoying the weather we get in Toronto, even if it’s only for four months out of the year. It’s doing something fun outdoors, it’s free, you can’t really beat it.”
Steppin’ with Sara’s first walk of the season is scheduled for May 9, in Bolton, Ont., and has already sold out since she announced it on Saturday. It’s in collaboration HEAL Wellness, a quick-service restaurant chain that serve up all-natural, plant-based superfood smoothies as well as handcrafted açaí bowls. The walk is also featuring Coffee Time Bolton, who will provide attendees free apple fritters, and Annaretti Biscotti, who will host a giveaway for an assorted box of 50 cookies.
Marino said she will provide updates for future walk dates and areas on her Instagram.
