The Runway 5K is slated for the morning of Saturday, October 6, 2018. The race will begin near the cargo facilities, under a runway tunnel, loop around by the airport fire station, and wrap around on Runway 8L/26R – GFIA’s general aviation runway. The Airport’s two other commercial aviation runways will still be operational.
“We are excited to bring back the Runway 5K after such a successful 2017 event. We had such great feedback from the community and sponsors that had a chance to participate in an event normally being used for aircraft, that we had to bring it back,” said GFIA President & CEO Jim Gill. “We are giving West Michigan a chance to experience our facility like never before. This event will not only encourage family time, but it is promoting a healthy lifestyle and aviation as well as benefitting a wonderful local charity.”
GFIA is hosting the event for a small registration fee, but the Airport has selected Make-A-Wish Michigan as its charity of choice to donate the proceeds for the second straight year. 2017’s event raised $10,000 for Make-A-Wish Michigan.
"We're delighted that the Gerald R. Ford International Airport is hosting this event once again to benefit Make-A-Wish Michigan." said Karen Davis, president & CEO of Make-A-Wish Michigan. "It's through the generous support of our Michigan community, like our friends at GFIA, that we are able to grant life-changing wishes to Michigan children and bring hope, strength and joy at a time when they need it most."
“Make-A-Wish Michigan does tremendous work in our community, and we are thrilled to be able to donate proceeds from our Runway 5K to this organization,” said Gill. “We see Make-A-Wish kids in our airport on a regular basis, and although we wish that was less frequent; we are happy to help grant more wishes in West Michigan through this donation.”
Participants are encouraged to sign up early as registration prices vary. Registration for the race starts at $32/person, but goes up as capacity fills. Registration includes a t-shirt, post-race snacks/beverages, awards for top finishers, and other giveaways. For those wanting to participate in a one-mile fun run/walk, the fee starts at $18/person and goes up as capacity fills. Participants can register at: http://triviumracing.com/event/runway5k2018
About GFIA
The Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) is the second busiest airport in Michigan. The Airport served over 3.58 million passengers in 2019 and over 9,000 travelers pass through GFIA each day. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport offers nonstop service to 34 major market destinations with more than 140 daily nonstop flights. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport is Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority 5500 44th Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49512-4055 ph 616.233.6000 fx 616.233.6025 flyford.org managed and operated by the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority. GFIA generates over $3.1 billion in annual economic output throughout West Michigan and employs over 2,000 people. For more information on GFIA visit: www.flyford.org or follow the airport on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @FlyGRFord
Make-A-Wish Michigan
The Make-A-Wish Michigan mission statement is together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Since 1984, Make-A-Wish Michigan has granted more than 9,000 wishes. There are more than 650 medically eligible Michigan children dreaming, planning and anticipating their wishes. Based in Brighton, Mich., with an office in Grand Rapids, Make-A-Wish Michigan is funded through community support. 80 percent of each dollar spent benefits the Michigan wish-granting program. Please visit www.michigan.wish.org to learn more.
