Region of Waterloo International Airport runway transforms into charity racecourse

Hundreds of runners turned out on the tarmac for the first-ever Runway Run at The Region of Waterloo International Airport.

For one morning at the Region of Waterloo International Airport, the tarmac was filled with runners instead of planes.

On Saturday, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Canada hosted its first-ever Runway Run, a charity race held in partnership with Run Waterloo. The event featured a 2-mile and 5-mile race, along with a 200-metre fun run for children, all taking place directly on the airport’s active runway.

“It’s not a very often you can get on the runway so you have an opportunity to actually run and warm up,” said race director, Lloyd Schmidt. “Being on the tarmac is just thrilling.”

Chris Thomas, vice-president of philanthropy and communications at MAF Canada, said the race connects participants to the organization’s humanitarian work abroad.

“This is our first time doing it and we would love to join and do it every year with Run Waterloo and with the airport here, perhaps maybe do some more across the country,” said Thomas.

Around 500 runners descended on the airport’s tarmac.

“I think it’s really cool that we can take something as seemingly ordinary as airlines that go across the world to actually bringing life and support to communities that can’t exist in any other way besides aviation,” said aspiring pilot, Simon Heemskerc.

“It’s very interesting work and it’s work that takes a special kind of person to be out in the Congo, for example,” said participant, Mathias Tessel.

“We’ve raised our goal, which is $12,000, which is 20 emergency flights, approximately,” said Thomas.

Among the participants were Larry and Ruth Nicholson, who served overseas with MAF for 40 years in countries including Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea and Uganda. Larry Nicholson said the race helps raise awareness about the challenges faced by isolated communities.

“We both grew up overseas and we saw the need for all these remote communities who have no other access to medical or anything else and we saw what they were doing in all these countries and we just wanted to be part of it, make a difference in this world,” he said.

MAF operates a worldwide fleet of over 120 aircraft, whether it’s transporting relief supplies to a refugee camp or flying doctors to a remote village.

“Approximately every seven minutes, another MAF aircraft is taking off or landing, which is amazing,” said Thomas.

“In Papua New Guinea, we do about one medevac per day over the years, so there’s like over 300 per year and each of those people would very likely have died,” explained Nicholson.

Volunteers and race organizers emphasized that the Runway Run offered a rare opportunity for participants to run on an active airport runway, creating a unique experience for the local running community.

“We just want to have our lives make a difference and see something that you feel like you can actually change, help other people,” said Nicholson.

The event’s organizers hope to make the Runway Run an annual tradition.