Life Moments column
By Christine Bryant
If you’re like me when you visit the airport, you’ve often wondered what it’s like beyond those big glass windows.
It may look like a lot of concrete and a bunch of workers wearing hearing protection, but I imagine it to be a complex web of inner workings that enable passengers to get from point A to point B.
My wish to view a part of the airport that most never see will come true Oct. 29, when I participate in the John Glenn International Runway 5K Run and Walk.
I’ve only ever walked in one 5K race. It was years ago, and donning a pink wig, I marched with thousands of others in the Komen Race for the Cure.
Since then, I’ve thought here and there about walking – and maybe even running – in another one – but always stopped short of completing the required registration.
This year, however, when I saw a Facebook post on the John Glenn Columbus International Airport page announcing the new 5K event, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a unique view of the airport that only pilots and certain airport employees see.
The 5K race will take place on the north runway, with the south runway remaining open so planes can be seen taking off, landing or taxiing. As the race promoted, few people ever get the opportunity to step foot on a runway, let alone race on one.
With the event limited to 750 registrants, I knew I needed to jump at the chance to not only participate, but give to an organization that will benefit from the proceeds and is dear to my heart.
To honor John Glenn, funds from the event will go to Honor Flight Columbus, a non-profit organization that provides senior veterans with a day in the nation’s capital to visit memorials built in their honor.
If you’ve ever thought about signing up for a 5K – to run or walk – this might be the unique experience for which you’ve been waiting.
Visit runsignup.com/CMH5K for information.
Christine Bryant is a Messenger staff writer and columnist.
