A Stephen Foster composition from 1850 and a run through the woods in Bradford County. What’s the connection? Well, the song was “Camptown Races,” one of the gems of the minstrel era of American music. It’s a raucous ditty about transient workers who get up a horse race to wager on using a five-mile track near Camptown around 1840. Such gambling was considered immoral, giving the song a naughty tone that the public loved. A slightly bizarre tale ensues including a cow on the track that gets flipped on a horse’s back, and a horse who gets stuck in a mud hole—“Can’t touch the bottom with a ten-foot pole.” And we can only speculate as to the motivations of the crooning “Camptown Ladies.” Foster was known for his lively rhythms and bouncy lyrics that were ideally suited to the minstrel shows of the time.

Stephen Foster was born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania (a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, not the borough in Tioga County), on the Fourth of July, 1826, which is fitting considering his songwriting career celebrated much about life in America. He spent time in Bradford County and was educated at academies in Allegheny, Athens, and Towanda. His brother, William, was an apprentice engineer in Towanda, met a man there learned in music, and suggested to Stephen that he should train with him. It’s not a stretch to imagine that the brothers may have visited Camptown during this time, providing the inspiration for “Camptown Races,” which was written in 1850. There’s even a historical marker near Wyalusing. Stephen attended college briefly, at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. But like so many naturally talented individuals, organized education was not a priority for him. He visited Pittsburgh on break from school and simply never went back.

Sixty years ago, folks around the area wanted to commemorate their claim to fame and the Camptown Race 10k and 5k runs were born. They are always the Saturday after Labor Day, September 6 this year, in the same general area where the song takes place. A foot race seemed much easier to manage than one with horses. And the committee developed the idea to use the event not only as a celebration of Foster, but as a real community booster. Organizer Irene Melly says the Camptown Civic Club hosts the race as a fundraiser.

“The money allows us to support things like the school backpack program, the food pantry, the library and museum, and such,” she says. Now that’s something to sing about.

“Nature runs” or “trail runs” are a whole different animal from flat track races. After starting on a paved road, about 2.8 miles of the route takes runners right into the woods on what were once logging roads, uphill and down, dodging tree roots and loose rocks. There’s even a stream to get across, so forget about your feet staying dry. In 2024 it rained heavily, a drenching that produced what one volunteer called “a fun mess.” Undaunted, the nearly 100 runners stretched and warmed up in the deluge, with a couple commenting that they might as well get muddy, too. Everyone gathers at the starting line and the church steeple plays “Camptown Races,” with folks singing along. The gun fires and off they go! Lots of kids blast off in the 5k division with the boundless enthusiasm of youth. Older runners try to find the right rhythm. The finish brings runners to the green space where vendors, food, and live music await them.

“The first section wasn’t bad,” a runner said as he peeled off mud-soaked sneakers to the absolute delight of his children. “But the trail section was really challenging.” Another runner commented that the switch in terrain demands a mental 180 as well. “Road racing is all about pacing, breathing well, and keeping your stride. The trail course is all about simply trying to stay upright!”

For the sixtieth anniversary of the Camptown Race (find it at the intersection of Route 409 and Route 706), the organizers wanted to do something special. They added a new challenge—a two-person relay option. The first runner has the flat, grassy portion of the trail. The anchor person picks up the natural trail, complete with dirt, mud, trees, and elevation change. Assuming the pairs assign the faster runner to the first half, and the stronger runner to the second, there could be some impressive times this year.

Stephen Foster wrote some of his most celebrated songs in the Keystone state: “Camptown Races” (1850); “Nelly Bly” (1850); “Ring de Banjo” (1851); “Old Folks at Home” (1851), known also as “Swanee River”; “My Old Kentucky Home” (1853), which became the state song of Kentucky; “Old Dog Tray” (1853); and “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” (1854), written for his wife, Jane. Despite never having lived in the South, many of Foster’s songs had southern themes.

Foster died in 1864 at the tragically young age of thirty-seven, and mystery surrounds his death to this day. His writing partner found him in a hotel room with a laceration to his neck. He had been down with a fever, so it is possible he fell, and the cut was accidental. Some theorize he tried to take his own life. Nothing definitive was ever established. But the people who come to the Camptown Race 5k and 10k are there to celebrate his life and lift their voices in song, along with their feet.

Details can be found on Facebook or through race sites such as runsignup.com.