Close to 900 Race Through Town As Doylestown 5K Celebrates Its 30th

DOYLESTOWN, PA — For the 30th year, hundreds hit the streets of Doylestown Borough on Saturday for the iconic Doylestown 5K Race and Doylestown’s Mightiest Mile.

And what a race it was.

Beautiful skies and temperatures in the 70s combined to create the perfect conditions for a hugely successful event.

The race drew close to 900 runners to town who raced through the borough for the benefit of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church and Discover Doylestown. It was the largest turnout of runners since the pre-pandemic race of 2016.

The Mightiest Mile came within 19 of breaking its all time attendance record as runners of all ages enjoyed the more leisurely run through town.

Photo by Jeff Werner

Photo by Jeff Werner

Photo by Jeff Werner

As the runners crossed the finish line just east of Printer’s Alley, race director Kris Boger, the president of Discover Doylestown, joined the crowd in applauding and cheering on the participants as they passed below a giant flag hanging above East State Street courtesy of Doylestown Fire Company No. 1.

“Great job. Great job guys,” she cheered as the runners raced by.

“After three years of thunderstorms, pouring rain and 50 degree weather, this is my dream. This is absolute perfection,” said Boger. “We’re close to 900 runners. There’s 139 people who ran the fun run. And we have a volunteer crew of 89."

In comparison, the very first race 30 years ago drew about 212, said Boger. “So we’ve grown just a little bit since then. Plus we have close 1200 people here cheering everybody on.

“We knocked on all the available wood and we came out with perfection,” she said.

Mike Sobczak of Doylestown was among the 900 who raced through the quiet residential streets of Doylestown into the town's business core. He stood out from the crowd, carrying an American flag.

“This is all about bringing people together. I figured if I could be that symbol and everyone sees me pushing a little bit, hopefully everyone will do the same and come together," he said moments after completing the race.

Mike Sobczak of Doylestown was among the 900 who raced through the quiet residential streets of Doylestown into the town's business core. (photo by Jeff Werner)

Uncle Sam and his wife were there to cheer on the racers. (photo by Jeff Werner)

Sobczak said his favorite part of the race is seeing the giant flag at the end of the race.

“It reminds me of what this special weekend is all about,” he said of the men and women who died fighting for their country. “That’s why I carry the flag. It’s not about me. It’s about them.”

Sobczak, who owns and operates Training for Warriors in Plumstead, wasn’t sure of his finishing time. “My goal was just not to stop,” he said.

“When you're coming down toward the flag there’s a big tunnel of people. I can't hear anything because my headphones are on, but I can feel the energy," he said. "Running beneath that flag and seeing everyone around, it makes you want to run more.

"The toughest part of the race is always the hill at the bottom of Linden," he says. "It’s like you’re going down. And then when you start coming back it starts laughing at you as soon as your foot hits the hill. But you know you have to keep going and that's what you do," he said.

Discover Doylestown is a non-profit organization of residents and businesses dedicated to celebrating the community and creating lasting traditions. Its projects include the Doylestown Arts Festival, Doylestown 5K Race, Spooktacular Parade, Doylestown Pride Festival, Winter Festival, seasonal decorations and much more.

For a list of this year's race winners and future race events, visit the Bucks County 5K Series website.

Photos by Jeff Werner

Captain America was there adding to the patriotic spirit. (photo by Jeff Werner)