Growing up in Cape Breton, David Wadden thought donairs were fixtures at pizza shops worldwide.
It wasn’t until he moved to Halifax that he learned the beloved official food of the city — spiced meat served on a pita with onions, tomatoes and a sweet garlicky sauce — was not a global thing. Well, not yet at least.
This realization, coupled with the fact that he couldn’t name a favourite donair spot to friends visiting from out of town, got him thinking about how to incorporate a journey of donair discovery, exercise and raising money for charity.
“Thinking of exercise, I went to running, donair and marathon, kind of shove those two words together, and then once we had the name Donair-Athon … the ball really started to roll,” said Wadden, 29.
Wadden ran and biked to 59 donair shops in the Halifax area this year to eat donairs, rate them and post videos about the experiences. He’s raised more than $2,200 for Feed Nova Scotia doing so.
But that wasn’t the hard part. After eating the donair, he faced the ungodly task of running or biking back home.
David Wadden rated the donairs on factors such as meat and pita quality, and tracked the results in a publicly available spreadsheet. He even weighed the donairs to calculate the price per pound. (Submitted by David Wadden)
This unorthodox training regimen resulted in Wadden running a 42.2-kilometre marathon two weeks ago at the Valley Harvest Marathon in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley.
Wadden said after eating the donairs, sometimes he felt great, sometimes not.
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“There was the odd time where I felt better after the donair, I don’t know why,” he said. “But most of the time I was a little sluggish getting back out and running. I didn’t have any incidents, which was nice. I kind of expected maybe more bathroom breaks needed or, heaven forbid, a throw-up.”
While running after eating a donair is an achievement on its own, even more impressive is that Wadden did not have a background in running prior to this. He used to do indoor rock climbing, but had to find a new outlet after a shoulder injury.
Wadden has an innate curiosity. He used to post videos to YouTube of himself learning new skills, such as how to juggle or cook the perfect steak, so this project is an extension of that attitude.
A rotating spit of donair meat is seen at a King Of Donair restaurant in Halifax on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)
Wadden said he selected Feed Nova Scotia because he wanted something food-related that was local.
“I think it’s the broader idea of helping the community,” said Wadden. “I was lucky enough never to have those issues myself, but I always had family that … would fundraise for these different charities.”
Thomas Coldwell, Feed Nova Scotia’s director of philanthropy and engagement, said every year there are hundreds of “third-party events” where people like Wadden fundraise for the charity or hold food drives. He said they’re important for the charity.
Coldwell said he’s not sure if others have pitched donair-themed events to the charity.
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“Well, I love a donair, but I’m not sure I could happily bike after eating one, so it’s great to see someone like David who’s using their skills and putting out wonderful videos showcasing the Halifax donair … and also to tie it in with food insecurity and support fundraising,” said Coldwell.
Besides the out-of-pocket costs for the donairs at roughly $12 each, Wadden said he also had to buy running equipment. Despite the social media views, he said he hasn’t made any money from the project.
Wadden said he came up with the idea for the project about a year ago. Before he could actually do the Donair-Athon, though, he had to spend a few months training to get ready for it, dealing with complications such as shin splints and knee pain.
Starting in February, he’d do one donair excursion a week. In March, he upped the frequency, running two days a week and throwing in a third donair trip by bike, eventually landing on running three days a week.
On the off days, he’d supplement the regimen with things like yoga or strength training. All told, he said he ran more than 500 kilometres and biked more than 300 kilometres through the Donair-Athon.
Wadden said the highlight of the venture was meeting with people at the donair shops and doing the marathon itself.
His least favourite part was the shin splints.
“They were not fun one bit,” he said.
Prior to the Donair-Athon, Wadden said he only ate donairs once every couple of months, which explains why he couldn’t suggest a favourite place to out-of-towners.
Wadden said he’s had enough donairs for 2026, but might resume eating them in the new year.
While he rules out doing another full marathon, a half-marathon may be in the works.
“I told myself once I finished this, I’m done [running],” said Wadden. “And now that I’ve finished the marathon, I really want to get back out there.
“I’m going to see if I can fit it in because I do want to keep doing other stuff, but I definitely have a new love for running that I didn’t think I would get.”
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