John Tory is running.

He is metaphorically running, of course, in a race for mayor to rival all others in recent memory — one that reached peak chaos just one day earlier when Rob Ford, the embattled mayor facing a yet-to-be diagnosed tumour, switched places with his older brother and campaign manager Doug Ford.

But on Saturday, John Tory is actually running — up a hill on Bloor St. West, chasing down the pack of his volunteers in the annual Ukranian parade in the west-end. He has fallen behind after stopping to do a TV interview about the state of the race.

For this brief moment, John Tory is winning.

The Star followed Tory on 12 hours of campaigning in the home stretch of the election. This is what happened.

Leaving home

7:32 a.m.: Tory leaves his downtown condo and climbs into the front seat of the black Dodge four-door driven by Bryan Frois. “I sit in the front only to navigate,” Tory says. It’s spitting rain.

Toronto 5K, Winston Churchill Park

7:40 a.m.: Tory, changing out of a blazer and into a navy blue sweater, heads up a hill under a black umbrella towards a gathering of racers.

He spots, in a straw hat, Councillor Joe Mihevic, an Olivia Chow supporter. A woman on a bike says she had all the ladies out canvassing for Tory earlier. “Did you have your ladies out canvassing, Joe?” Tory asks. They laugh.

The race announcer jokes he still has a number for him to run in the race. “Thanks for asking, I'll take it under advisement,” Tory jokes. “It’s been an interesting 24 hours,” the announcer says — the first to hint at the political turmoil that captured the city on Friday. Tory agrees.

7:50 a.m.: Tory, dashing ahead of staff, wades into a crowd of racers. He asks a young boy where he's going to school and correctly guesses his brother is in Grade 11.

While making small talk with non-racers waiting on the sidelines, several people ask to pose for pictures. A teen girl says she is writing a school paper about him. “Can I propagandize you for a second?” he jokes as they both smile for the camera. He tells her to call him if she needs help with her essay.

8:01 a.m.: A CP24 reporter finds Tory, under and umbrella in pouring rain. Tory talks about the importance of the race supporting SickKids hospital. He answers a few questions about Doug Ford and the state of the race, the first of the day. “We have to sort of start discussing the suitability of him,” Tory says.

8:16 a.m.: Tory pauses to clap as the first runners cross the finish line.

8:20 a.m.: Tory’s spokesperson, Amanda Galbraith, needs to talk to Tory about the hamburger he's about to eat at a local restaurant that’s running a burger poll on the candidates. The burger is blue cheese ("I love blue cheese!"), caramelized onions, and blue tortilla chips. “No definitely not. Why would they put that on a hamburger?” The last item is blueberry mayonnaise. “No, absolutely not,” Tory says. “Fruit mayonnaise?”

8:23 a.m.: The real issue is the photo, with Metro News conducting an interview about the burger contest. “You know how we feel about eating food on camera,” Galbraith says, encouraging a small bite. Tory launches into a story about the late federal Conservative leader Robert Stanfield and an infamous picture of him peeling a banana — a photo used mercilessly in attack ads and political cartoons from then on, Tory says. “For the rest of his career he was holding the banana,” he says. “Not withstanding all that, I'm having a bite.”

The Lakeview restaurant, Dundas Ave.

8:38 a.m.: Tory greets each of the patrons in the sparsely populated diner: "Hi, I'm John Tory." He learns the blueberry mayonnaise on his namesake burger is actually just a blueberry sauce. He still doesn't seem sure about it.

9:06 a.m.: The John Tory burger arrives. Tory says there is no way to take a “dainty” bite of the six-ounce stack. At least eight people are waiting for him to eat the burger. “I'm waiting to take the bite until someone's not taking pictures,” Tory says. He remembers Stanfield. He finally takes a huge bite and wipes blueberry sauce from his face. “I take back what I said about the blueberry," he says. "Even the chips are OK.”

Toronto Ukrainian Festival, High Park

10:30 a.m.: Tory, dropped off at Ossington station, waits for a train to get to High Park.

10:45 a.m.: Tory and team swiftly pass by a group of Olivia Chow volunteers, who appear to be waiting for their own candidate. They'll be marching ahead in the parade. He greets more than a dozen of his volunteers in white John Tory t-shirts, among them his son Chris. Tory tells Chris about the burger and soggy tortilla chips, but he already knows because he saw it on Instagram.

10:55 a.m.: Tory greets parade organizers Senator Raynell Andreychuk and former prime minister John Turner, riding in a silver Camaro. The owner of the orange sports car that will help lead the parade asks Tory to pose for a picture in front of it. “As long as you say it's not my car!” Tory jokes. “Doug Ford will say it's my car and that I have four of them!”

11:29 a.m.: The parade, finally underway, turns onto Bloor St. with Tory’s team holding the 61st position. Tory greets waving, picture-taking spectators: “Good morning! I’m happy to be here. Good afternoon, good evening, whatever it is.” He keeps gravitating towards the curb, stopping to shake multiple hands.

11:51 a.m.: “Oh I know you from somewhere!” shouts a teenage girl in green glasses. He laughs and keeps walking.

12:00 p.m.: Tory’s team passes Chow’s team as the parade ends on Jane St. "Hey Olivia, how are you?" Tory asks as he breezes by.

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Roncesvalles Polish Festival

12:54 p.m.: Tory is greeting festival-goers when one man says he hopes Tory can be better than the previous mayor. “I don’t want to be the new Rob Ford, I want to be the new John Tory!" he says.

1:26 p.m.: Tory’s record of guessing children’s’ ages is improving. “You're about Grade 4?” he asks one girl. She says she’s in Grade 3. He guesses her older sister — the pair dressed in raincoats and boots — is in Grade 5. He is not wrong. He stops in front of the Liberal party booth set up along Roncesvalles to shake volunteers’ hands. “Who's the current federal MP?” He asks. "Cheri DiNovo?" Peggy Nash, they tell him (DiNovo is the MPP).

1:43 p.m.: A young boy named Oliver tells Tory he is doing a mock election at his school. He leans in and whispers he is voting for Tory. “Stay interested in politics, OK?” Tory tells him. “It’s alright.”

Central Neighbourhood House, Cabbagetown

1:49 p.m.: Back in the car, Tory heads to Cabbagetown while reading out tweets about the press conference Chow has just given. Citytv wants to interview him at their next stop, and they discuss what might be asked about Doug Ford.

1:56 p.m.: Tory notices a blueberry sauce stain on his pants and tries to clean it up. Aide Bryan Frois offers Tory Twizzlers from the glove compartment. He hasn’t eaten anything since the few bites of burger. Galbraith says political strategist Nick Kouvalis has been trying to reach him. “Oh yeah, look-it. Three missed calls. Oh, and my mother!” He calls Kouvalis back first. They discuss polls and Chow and what to do on Sunday with an overlapping debate and neighbourhood canvas in Trinity-Spadina.

2:25 p.m.: Tory arrives on Ontario St. to find a small group of reporters waiting to ask questions. He insists he is still the “clear choice” for mayor to avoid the divisiveness the Ford brothers created, calls Doug Ford the “ringmaster” of the “circus.”

2:32 p.m.: Tory puts on a top hat and blue sash and joins a life-size game of Monopoly to raise awareness of city issues. Former mayors Barbara Hall and Senator Art Eggleton are also playing. He rolls an 11 using large inflatable dice and lands on the Regent Park farmer's market space. He owes Hall, who is also wearing a top hat, $24 in paper money for rent.

3:03 p.m.: Tory passes GO, collects $200, pays Hall rent for landing on Riverdale Farm and bows out of the race. A dozen older women rush over to pose for pictures. Tory leaves a $20 bill as a donation at the front door.

Coffee party, Etobicoke

3:44 p.m.: The car pulls up to a family home on Old Mill Terrace. Tory blends into the mix of professionals in slacks and blazers in the house, greeting them as he makes his way towards the backyard. Caterers clear a table laden with hors d’oeuvres to make room for dessert squares and cookies.

4:06 p.m.: The afternoon’s host greets Tory as the person who will take over the mayor’s seat on the back porch overlooking a large ravine. Tory gives a few short remarks, focusing on his SmartTrack transit plan, his audience nodding along. He tells them what pushed him to run was the Ford way of doing things at city hall. "A Ford is a Ford," he says.

4:44 p.m.: Tory takes a sausage in a bun to go as he says his goodbyes. In the car, a radio announcer says there are 44 days left until the election. "Really?” Tory says.

Mexican Independence Day, Nathan Phillips Square

5:13 p.m.: Back at city hall, he’s swarmed by photographers while meeting the trade commissioner for Mexico. He does a lap of the square as he sips from a foam cup of Mexican coffee. He stands amid the crowd as officials reenact a Mexican independence ceremony. “Viva!” the crowd yells. Tory smiles.

6:24 p.m.: Galbraith gets a text from aide Ian Shaw, who is scouting ahead at the next event. He says to tell Tory not to wear his blazer.

6:28 p.m.: Tory talks to his wife, Barbara Hackett, on the phone. He tells her he’s not sure how late he’ll be working.

Toronto Beer Week, Ossington Ave. and Davenport Rd.

6:36 p.m.: Tory arrives on an industrial lane for a special brewery night. "Where are we?" he asks, looking up from his phone. Shaw briefs him through the car window.

Inside the India Ale House, he asks organizers about the space, how their business works and what beer he should try. Then he makes his way through the crowd, chatting up beer enthusiasts and bearded hipsters. “I don’t even know who you are,” one woman laughs. Tory isn’t fazed.

6:46 p.m.: Making his way towards the bar, he sidles in behind to pour his own pint as staff take pictures. He picks the recommended Sunkicked XO. "Oh, that's nice," he says, taking a sip from the glass.

7:30 p.m.: More than 12 hours after leaving home, Tory takes a brief break to talk to his staff and decide on next moves. "I have to go do my job," he says as he wades back into the crowd.

8:08 p.m.: Tory’s team has finally gotten him back in the car. He makes a last minute decision not to go home, but to be dropped off at Roy Thomson Hall, where Hackett is attending a TIFF event. He decides, for the first time, to put off work until later. He hasn't seen his wife all day.

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