You could call it one of those American Dream stories.
How an Ivyland Borough stay-at-home mom woke up one morning and, over a cup of coffee, decided she was going to start and organize a 5,000-meter footrace.
From scratch.
Yep, looking back some 26 years later, race founder Mary Severn admits “we had no idea what we were doing.”
Not to worry. Through determination, a little help from her friends and an inquisitive nature, Severn got her project, the Hatboro Federal Savings Ivyland 5K, off the ground.
A surprising 98 people showed up for the first one, originally called the Peach Festival Ivyland 5K, and things just grew from there.
This Saturday some 400 runners are expected to compete in either the featured 5K or one-mile fun run.
It’s the essence of a big-time race in a small-town environment.
“It was kind of a crazy idea I had,” Severn said in a telephone interview. “I was staying home with my two kids and I just thought ‘I’ll organize a 5K run.’
“I felt like I needed some sort of purpose when I was home with the kids. I thought ‘Oh, this will be easy. This will be something fun to do.’”
Well, it wasn’t exactly easy but with the assistance of her husband, Jon, along with town officials and organizations like the Bucks County Roadrunners Club, things have gone pretty smoothly.
Now it’s a veteran staple on the Bucks County road running schedule, right up there with the July 4 Revolutionary Run and the mid-May Sesame Place Classic.
“We were over 400 runners before COVID and then we kind of took a dip,” Severn said. “But we feel like everything is kind of (going back) in the right trajectory right now.”
It’s a bit unusual for a race to be named after the town it’s run in but in a way that’s what makes this one special.
“The first year it was the Peach Festival Ivyland 5K,” Severn said. “But then they didn’t have the Peach Festival the next year. But it really is the only sporting event in Ivyland.
“The Bucks County Roadrunners Club usually sends a bunch of people and we sort of let the people know in Ivyland and Warminster that it’s happening. One thing is we’ve kept our prices low because we just want to encourage families to run and not have to spend a lot of money.”
Many runners also know they are competing for good causes.
One of the chief recipients is the Perri Willis Scholarship Fund.
“It’s named after a friend of ours who died of breast cancer,” Severn explained. “It goes to a student at William Tennent (High School) who is going to major in psychology and also has an interest in music.”
The Ivyland 5K also provides scholarship assistance to the William Tennent boys and girls cross country teams.
A very cool thing happened last year when Ivyland resident Dean Ricco won the overall 5K title in a time of 15:48.
“That is amazing,” Severn said. “The guy who won last year remembers running it when he was growing up. It completely made his day to win. We always like it when a native wins.”
There are several attraction points to the Ivyland 5K.
For one, it is positioned in late August when many runners, including high school and college harriers, are getting ready for the fall racing season.
And two, the last mile is slightly downhill, which gives runners a little energy boost for the challenging push to the finish line.
Severn explains: “I basically looked at dates that didn’t seem too competitive. We thought, why don’t we make this where the teams can come. That first race, you can feel a bit nervous. This would be a great way where it wouldn’t be so stressful. It’s great to have the really fast runners but I felt like this would be great for people new to the sport before they start their cross country season. They can get their toes wet.”
Oh, and there’s nothing like reaching that two-mile mark knowing there’s no more climbing.
“Yeah, once you get to mile two, you’re in the (Warminster Community) Park, you’re a little bit in the shade and you can just let loose,” Severn said.
If you’re one of those people who needs a cellphone directional guide to find Ivyland, you’re not alone.
The good news is, the Ivyland 5K has kind of put Ivyland on the map.
“We’ve had so many people come up and say, ‘I didn’t even know this little community existed because it’s so cute with all the Victorian homes and all that,’” Severn said. “I think it’s always kind of a surprise that you have this little community amongst all the busyness of Warminster.”
Severn is proud of the fact her little project has turned into a mainstay on the Delaware Valley race calendar.
“When I first got started, I got this binder from the Roadrunners Club telling me how to organize a 5K run,” she said with a chuckle. “The other stuff I read online was no help at all. You really had to kind of figure it out on your own.”
And figure it out she has, much to the delight of runners near and far.
Race calendar
Saturday
26th annual Hatboro Federal Savings Ivyland 5K, 8:30 a.m., Ivyland. Contact www.ivyland5k.org.
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