Airport campaigner leads Doncaster Sheffield Airport runway race
A Doncaster businessman who has led the public campaign to re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport was given the task of leading a race along the runway which attracted thousands of runners.
Saturday’s Run The Runway event saw runners of all ages dashing along the airport’s runway for a huge charity fundraising run.
And leading them in the course car was Mark Chadwick, owner of Doncaster’s Stadium Garage and the leader of the Save DSA campaign.
He said: “A standout feature of the day for myself was to supply and drive the course car, fitted with a time clock on its roof, helping guide runners and keep timing on track.
“Many attendees commented on the strong sense of community, with positive feedback from both runners and spectators who welcomed the opportunity to visit the airport for such an event.
“The success of “Run the Runway” highlights the ongoing importance of Doncaster Sheffield Airport as a focal point for the local community and how enthusiastic everyone is regarding our airport.”
More than 2,500 people took the unique opportunity to run the length of the runway in a race supporting a number of charities, including the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, Active Fusion and Club Doncaster Foundation.
The Run the Runway event, organised by Libra Races with support from the team at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, saw runners of all ages take up the unique chance to take on distances of either 5.8km or 3.5km around the airfield on Saturday.
There had been a huge interest in the event, with the race initially selling out 1,000 places in just 48 hours. A subsequent waiting list then attracted interest from 2,000 more runners with the final race limit set at 2,600 places.
Simon Hinchley, Executive Director – Airport operations, said: “The community has really got behind what is likely to be the only chance to be part of something of this scale on the runway before we reopen the airport to passengers and freight.
"It’s far from every day that you get the chance to set foot on a runway of any type, let alone one of this length and quality.”
“It was fantastic to see so many runners taking part and having fun while raising funds for great causes.