Docherty, Haus crowned 51st annual Park Point 5-Miler champions

New festivities welcomed runners, families, and community members to the 51st annual Park Point 5-Miler and 2-Mile Walk Thursday evening.

The Young Athletes Foundation organized yard games, food trucks, and music as a way to say thanks to the community for over five decades of fun. 

In total 668 competitors registered for the events, with this year’s 5-Miler also serving as an official USA Track and Field circuit race.

Crossing the finish line first would be Dan Docherty with a time of 24:41. The St. Paul native also won the event in 2017 which was his first showing at Park Point.

“I felt good early on and then it was a grind,” Docherty said about Thursday’s run. “The second half we actually had the wind kind of in our face so I definitely had to pull from the crowd to get me home.”

Andrea Haus, one of the athletes Docherty coaches through Mill City Running, claimed the women’s title with a time of 29:02.

“I think that I came into today without any expectations at all,” Haus explained. “I was pretty tired after Grandma’s Half [Marathon] a few weeks ago. I think I wasn’t worried about it, I just came in stress free.”

Haus finished 30th among women in this year’s Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and Docherty finished 28th overall in Grandma’s full marathon, earning an Olympic Trial Qualifier time.

In the 2-Mile Walk, the men’s winner was 12-year-old Brennan Callaghan with a time of 25:49 while 71-year-old Anne Hegg was the women’s winner with a time of 26:01.

Grandma’s next race is the Minnesota Mile September 9th. Registration opens Friday, July 15th.