Runners took off from Nate’s Baked Goods & Coffee, with sweet treats in hand on Sunday morning. 150 participants ran in the Austin Bakery Run, a non-competitive 10k run that attempts to build community and feature Austin’s bakery scene.
Laura Kepus, founder of Aci, a pop-up Sicilian pasticceria, organized the Austin Bakery Run in collaboration with GOOD GRiEF run club. Kepus said even though Austin’s known for tacos or barbeque, she thinks other food in the city often gets overlooked. She created the Austin Bakery Run to highlight the dessert scene, pairing it with a great running community.
“You have everything from a biscuit shop (Bird Bird Biscuit) that has some of the best donuts in town to a Food Network baking champion (Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop),” Kepus said. “There’s a little bit of everything here that I felt was worth celebrating, and really, this is just a snapshot of what all of Austin has to offer.”
Kepus reached out to Samantha Hendel, who founded GOOD GRiEF in 2024 after losing her mother to cancer. She said she wanted to start a community to help people find the good in grief through movement and community.
Hendel said the popularity of run clubs in Austin comes from a desire for community or connection that does not revolve around drinking.
“A lot of people are transplants, and so they’re looking for … new friends,” Hendel said. “At the end of the day, everyone just wants community.”
The event was a lottery application system. Kepus said a few hundred people applied, but they limited the event to a total of 150 runners to keep the run intimate and curated. The route consisted of five stops, with runners trying a specialty dessert at each of the bakeries.
Participants picked up their bibs and started at Nate’s Baked Goods, where they tried a chocolate breakfast bar. The run began at 9 a.m., and runners stopped once again to sample cookies and cupcakes at Sugar Mama’s, donut holes at Bird Bird Biscuit and cupcakes from SusieCakes, before ending at the Aci pop-up at Sand Beach Park at around 10 a.m., where Kepus served the runners a refreshing strawberry granita.
Instead of the event being a race, Kepus and Hendel both highlighted the importance of the Austin Bakery Run being a non-competitive event.
“This is not a finish line, medal at the end. I really wanted people to feel like they could come together, get some steps in, (and) just meet others in Austin,” Kepus said. “If nothing else, I hope people just find some new community today.”
Participant Sheila Pan, an accounting fifth year, applied for the Austin Bakery Run after seeing it on Instagram. Pan finished the Austin Half Marathon back in February for the first time and said this run stood out due to enticing treats. The event was Pan’s first time running with a group, meeting someone who plans on running the same marathon as her in Vancouver later this year.
“I like getting to run with people. The time passes by faster,” Pan said. “Just awesome community, it’s very collaborative and inclusive.”
