Engines lined up at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino Sunday morning as the El Paso Motorcycle Coalition kicked off its 44th annual Toy Run, a tradition that has grown from a small neighborhood gift drive into one of the Borderland's biggest charity rides. Riders registered before forming a procession to the El Paso County Coliseum, where they dropped off toys and donations for underprivileged children across the city and surrounding region.
Organizers told KVIA that more than 1,200 bikers made the trip from the racetrack to the Coliseum, where they were greeted with vendors, live music and food once they arrived. The ride drew riders from all over the Borderland, according to the outlet, continuing a pattern of strong community turnout for the event each November.
Riders were scheduled to check in at the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino parking lot between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. before forming a procession to the Coliseum under police escort, per planned event details reported by KFOX14. The entry fee to join the run was $15 plus a new, unwrapped toy valued at $10 or more, the station reported.
A Tradition Rooted in Segundo Barrio
The Toy Run's origins stretch back more than four decades, when a group of bikers in El Paso's Segundo Barrio began gathering toys for children in Chihuahuita, according to KFOX14. What started as a small neighborhood effort has since grown into a citywide procession that draws riders from across the region every fall.
Attendance and scale have fluctuated from year to year. The 40th Annual Toy Run Parade in 2022 ran from Sunland Park Casino to the Coliseum and charged a $10 fee plus one toy, as CBS4 El Paso reported at the time. The following year's 41st Annual Toy Run & Parade took a different route, starting at Western Playland and continuing along Doniphan Avenue toward downtown before ending at the Coliseum, with participants again asked to bring $10 and a new toy, according to the same station's later coverage.
Toys Headed to Local Kids
Past years' coverage has indicated the toys collected during the run are distributed to local charities, schools and hospitals throughout the El Paso area, according to KVIA's reporting on the 2025 event. A separate recap from KLAQ noted that the parade typically draws between 1,800 and 2,200 motorcycles overall, even though only 900 to 1,300 riders normally register for the official ride. That same report said more than 6,000 children received toys the previous year.
This year's exact haul in toys or donations has not been independently verified, and the El Paso Motorcycle Coalition has not released its own tally. What is clear is that Sunday's ride kept a nearly 45-year-old tradition alive, with bikers once again turning out in force to make sure Borderland kids have something to unwrap this holiday season.
