Two hundred runners were up before dawn today (June 21) to take part in London Luton Airport’s largest ever runway race during the summer solstice.
The runners raised more than £4,000 (US$5,070) for Macmillan Cancer Support, the airport’s charity partner for 2018/19. The charity event, now in its third year, enables runners of all abilities to run the full length of the 1.3-mile runway (2.1km) and back again, between 4:30am and 5:30am, when it is closed to flights.
Neil Thompson, operations director at London Luton Airport, took part in the race. Thompson said, “This is our third and biggest runway race so far and what better way to mark the summer solstice than seeing the sunrise over the airport? The atmosphere was amazing and it was great to see so many airport staff and local runners enjoying this unique event while raising money to support the excellent work of Macmillan Cancer Support in our local area.”
Macmillan’s executive director of cancer support operations, John Pearson, also joined the runners. He said: “The money raised from our partnership with London Luton Airport will go toward our Bedfordshire Macmillan Grants program which will help reduce the financial impact of a cancer diagnosis and enable people with the disease to live life as fully as they can. We are so grateful for the hard work and dedication of the team at London Luton Airport for putting on such a unique fundraiser.”
