THE runway at London Stansted airport was today transformed into a running track for a unique charity event in the early hours of Monday morning.

Starting at 1am, nearly 100 airport staff ran, jogged and walked a 5.4 km course along one of the UK’s busiest runways in the name of good causes.

The run was organised by the airport to raise funds for MAG’s chosen charities Medcare, Magic Breakfast and The Children’s Society, with participants sponsorship pledges expected to raise up to £10,000 and split between the three charities.

The run was organised for the early hours of the morning when no arriving or departing aircraft were scheduled to avoid causing any disruption to the airport’s daily operations. The route was expertly managed by the airport’s airside operations team, looking out for the safety of all the participants and acting as timekeepers on the day.

Also supporting the charity run was the airport’s Radisson Blu Hotel, which provided refreshments and sponsored the event to cover hosting and organising costs. 

Nick Millar, London Stansted’s Operations Director, who took part in the run, said:

“This was the fourth London Stansted runway run, and as on previous occasions, the event was a huge success with people of all ages and abilities coming together to experience the unique opportunity of running on one of the UK’s busiest runways.

“I’m really proud of everyone who took to the tarmac and joined us overnight, and I’m also grateful to all the volunteers who gave up their sleep to be with us too, particularly the Radisson Blu Hotel and its team who supported the event, looked after the runners and helped us raise so much money for these wonderful charities.

“At London Stansted, we believe in giving back to the community where possible and supporting good causes that are close to our hearts, so the runway run is always a brilliant way to combine our love of running with raising funds for our charity partners.”