Who We Are

The Doylestown 5K Race is organized by a committee of Discover Doylestown and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School. Discover Doylestown is a 501c3 organization of residents and businesses dedicated to celebrating our community and creating lasting traditions. Our efforts include the 5K, Doylestown Arts Festival, Spooktacular Parade, Doylestown Pride Festival, Doylestown Winterfest, Seasonal Decorations, and much more! Our Lady of Mount Carmel School (OLMC) is a parochial school of 400 students from pre-k to eighth grade.

How many years has there been a Doylestown 5K race?

2023 marks the 30th anniversary of our race! We’re really excited to celebrate together this spring!

How did you come up with the name?

Since our race starts and ends in the heart of Doylestown Borough, calling it the Doylestown 5K Race just felt natural. We changed up our Fun Run a few years back, making it Doylestown’s Mightiest Mile and embracing the superhero kids who run it each year.

What inspired you to have the race?

The Doylestown 5K Race started in 1993 as a much smaller event aimed at promoting the downtown business district and offering a fun fitness event for the area’s fastest runners. The first year we welcomed less than 400 runners to the first-ever Fun, Food, and Fitness Festival.

2023 will be my 11th year as race director and I am so lucky to have an amazing committee of six members of our community who help make the race happen each year! They work tirelessly each year to make the race amazing and go smoothly for runners. I’m actually not the first Boger to direct this race, back in the 90s my father-in-law was the race director.

How are the proceeds of this race used?

Proceeds of the race go right back into the community. We have 240 flower baskets in town each spring, 200 wreaths, and 100 snowflake lights each winter. Funds have also been used to replace Santa’s house and the town’s dreidel after they were damaged in a winter storm a few years ago. Another project runners of our race are very familiar with is the enormous American flag they pass underneath just before our finish line, race proceeds were used to donate that flag to the Doylestown Fire Company #1 a few years back. Our Lady of Mount Carmel proceeds will go directly to the enhancement of educational programs for the children.

What are your goals going forward?

As our race has become a Memorial Day tradition, kicking off a long weekend of picnics, parades, and family gatherings. The race has become a bit of a reunion of sorts for the community to meet up each May. Plus each year we encourage families to come run the race together. A little competition makes it extra fun!

Funny or noteworthy moments:

When I think back to all the fun times, so much of it is the community coming together to celebrate running in Doylestown. In 2019 we got to give kids an extra fun way to view the finish line as they climbed the Doylestown Rock Gym Rockwall on State Street. I even got to climb it as the Fire Company set up the big flag on Pine Street.

Changes for 2023:

Last year we welcomed back our post-race party on E State Street, we’re really excited to make it bigger and more special for our 30th anniversary!

Save the date for Saturday, May 27th! The only place to be is downtown Doylestown!