Portland Pastry 10K is all about fostering connection

Portland Pastry 10K is all about fostering connection

One Portlander is turning eating pastries into a collective endurance sport.

The big picture: The sold-out Portland Pastry 10K Walk will send 100 people on a 6.8-mile route through Northeast next month, with stops for coffee, croissants, tiramisu and even lasagna along the way.

  • The event isn't really about exercise, though, organizer Marguerite Maguire told Axios.

    • "The point is connection," she said. "I'm hoping people use the walking, no direct eye contact and the love of pastries to dissolve some of the barriers between them."

    Catch up quick: The idea for a pastry 10K came from the days Maguire would spend wandering around Portland with out-of-town friends.

  • "We'd pick a neighborhood and basically walk all day, popping in places to get little treats," she said. "We'd end up having really good, connecting talks."
  • When she pitched the 10K to her 5,000-plus Instagram followers in March, she received a flood of enthusiastic responses. Registration for the event went live a month later and sold out in less than a day.

    • How it works: Participants will gather at the starting line at Harder Day Coffee on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at 9am on June 6.

  • There, they'll grab a croissant and a coffee then head to Café Destino for key lime pie, Tiny Love for "a secret item," Ngọt for Vietnamese-inspired tiramisu and end the tour at Lasagna Project — where chef Thomas Boyce slings tins of bolognese-layered pasta out of his house.
  • It's an intentional mix of well-known bakeries alongside pop-ups and IYKYK neighborhood gems.
  • The route is slightly longer than a traditional 10K and will likely take hours to complete, Maguire said.

    • Between the lines: The pastry 10K isn't Maguire's first foray into community-focused events meant to spark connection between strangers.

  • Maguire, a doctor during the day, also hosts another social experiment called "The Kissing Booth," where two people — strangers or a couple — hop in a photo booth for 40 seconds to kiss, exchange feedback on technique and then try again.
  • "My mission with all of my life and serious work is trying to make life feel less isolating and alone," she said. "It's very life-giving to stay wild."

    • What's next: Given the popularity of this first pastry 10K, Maguire already has others in the works.

  • Look out for a Sellwood tour in August and a Southeast one in September.