5K ON THE RUNWAY (Flint - 2019 - 5K)
58 Mile Drive
The 2019 Inaugural 5K on the Runway at Bishop International Airport was freezing. The super friendly packet pick-up staff were not understating it at all when they told us it would be bitter and to bundle up. I’ve never experienced how cold runways are during winter without any trees to break wind. We dressed very warm and it was still shockingly cold. Gloves couldn’t be left off while standing. The skin around our eyes burned from the cold on the course.
I was frustrated with the decision to not have a packet pick-up option on Saturday morning. We had to drive so far for something so quick. I thought they could have made a short pick-up time on Saturday morning, very early, at a venue different from the airport. The level of security was so high it was only done the night before.
Sadly, over 300 registered participants did not show up on race day. There are always a handful of runners that get sick or miss a run, but three hundred is a lot. We were notified late that all spectators had to report to packet pick-up in addition to race participants. If grandparents were coming to watch and they lived in Metro Detroit, they had to drive up to Flint just to pick up a single spectator wristband. Participants could not pick it up for them. I wish times for packet pick-up would have been extended to 8:00 or 9:00pm for people that worked and had a long drive like us. We made it with 10 minutes to spare and left right when Jason got home. All of these factors I am sure contributed to the missing registered runners Saturday.
We made it a night out in Flint after stopping at the Crim Foundation Office for packet pick-up on Friday. The Crim office was so cool! They had all past Crim medals on the wall. We walked through town and ended up eating at our third choice after the first two restaurants had lines that were too long. Churchill’s Food and Spirits had a Red Wings game playing which the kids and I watched. I haven’t watched a Wings game in so long. The food was excellent. The fish sauce was the only thing I didn't like. I thought the quinoa, brussel sprout rice pilaf and French Onion soup were amazing. It was very pretty downtown Flint and people were so nice. A man saw Jason trying to figure out how to pay to park on Saginaw Street and told us free parking had kicked in at 5:00pm. Another man told Ryan his shoe was untied. Strangers were very helpful and we scored with free parking!!
The race instructions said to arrive at 7am but with a 9am start time we all needed an extra hour of sleep. We got to the airport at 8:30am and were promptly greeted by state and local police and best of all…..BOMB DOGS!!!! Yes bomb detecting dogs (black and chocolate labs) went from car to car sniffing the tire rims. It was a totally different level of security than the GRR Runway Run at Grand Rapids International Airport last year. I loved them!!! (See my video!!!) They keep America safe one sniff at a time.
The grass parking field was huge, really bumpy and wet with muddy sink holes you had to watch out for (driving and walking). If you fell in one it was freezing. The race setup was nice with plenty of bathrooms, good vendors, an airplane on display and Donna’s Donuts!!! We loved Donna’s Donuts when we lived in Flushing. They had good music and energy and awesome hats and shirts. Double swag bonus!
With the arctic runway wind blowing hard in my face I didn’t run at my normal 5K pace and came in 30 seconds from third place in my age group. I wish I could have done better, but this was a big run. I originally expected to be 9th or 10th with so many runners. I was only sad to come so close and miss out on a medal when they didn’t have finisher medals.
I thought registration mentioned medals to all participants. There were only airplane wing pins at the finish. The bundled up volunteers handing out the wings blended in with spectators. The tiny airplane wing pins they had in their gloves were missed by a lot of us as we crossed the finish line. I still love my United Airlines wings and plan to incorporate it into a medal for my wall. I am very happy they had medals for kids. Our kids getting a medal means more than me getting one. It was especially wonderful for Ryan as this was his second run and he did so well in the cold. We re-parked our car closer to the start and warmed up before Ryan’s Little Pilot’s Run and in doing so were late to the start. Ryan started after all the little pilots had left and still did it without getting let down. We were so proud of him!! He was the coldest of all of us, so for him to run was amazing.
This run was everything you would expect from a runway run, the flattest course you could ask for with great airport scenery and cool loops where you could easily high five and cheer on friends and family. Luke and I did that. I don’t think I will be doing this run again unless they change the date to Spring. I have run in as low as zero degrees. My winter runs usually average into the twenties. It was 31 degrees in Flint at 9am on Saturday and it felt colder than any winter run I have ever done. Hot chocolate would have been amazing. Their cider was delicious, but it was so cold when we needed something warm. I give a big thanks to The Crim Foundation and all their staff and volunteers that came up with this idea and executed it. So many thanks go out to the emergency personal that made and kept this run safe. They are a huge reason for its success and our ability to run on BISHOP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT'S RUNWAY!!!! 5K on the Runway is my third runway run in Michigan and my first 2019 winter run!
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