350 runners brave the wind and the rain in the middle of the night to run a special 5K on the runway at Liverpool John Lennon Airport to raise an estimated £70,000 for charity. Tony McDonough reports
It is estimated more than £70,000 has been raised for charity following a special 5K in the early hours of Saturday morning.
At 2am, 350 runners braved the wind and the rain to run up and down the runway at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) for the special event in aid of the airport’s charity partner Alder Hey Children’s Charity.
With flights departing and arriving at the airport all year round from early in the morning until late at night, LJLA had been planning the event for months, working with a gap in their busy year round airline schedules to stage the race between 2am and 3.30am.
Just before the race the powerful runway lights, normally used to guide aircraft for take-offs and landings, were switched on to guide the runners as they took on the challenge.
Congratulations go to Ashley Taylor from Preston and Magdalena Watling from Liverpool who ran the length of the runway down and back to complete the 5K course as the fastest male and female runners.
This one-off event was sponsored by a number of partners including, easyJet, easyJet Holidays, aviation security company Wilson James, general and business aviation operator Ravenair and the M&S Bank Arena.
Carol Dutton, LJLA‘s HR and community director, said: “This was a fantastic commitment from the hundreds of runners who came along in the early hours and braved the rain to take part in this unique event, all in aid of Alder Hey.
“It was well worth all the effort of so many employees at the airport who helped out on the night, giving up their time to ensure the event went so well and helping to raise so much money for Alder Hey.”
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Sponsorships and fees from all the participants are yet to all be accounted for, but more than £70,000 is expected to have been raised. All of the proceeds will go towards the airport’s target to raise £86,000 for medical equipment required within the Alder Hey’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Katy Armitage, corporate partnerships fundraiser at Alder Hey Children’s Charity, added: “We have been overwhelmed by the amount of incredible support and are so grateful to everyone who helped to make this special event happen.”