Run The Runway
March 21, 2019
5K Lifts Off
By SHELBY MERTENS
Daily News-Record 3/21/19
HARRISONBURG — It’s not every day you can run on an airport runway, but area children will have the opportunity to do just that on the morning of April 13 for the Run the Runway 5K.
The Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave will shut down its runway for the second annual event.
The 5K race was created last year to support the expansion of Explore More’s aviation exhibit. Dynamic Aviation, an aviation company based in Bridgewater, donated a Beechcraft King Air 90s airplane that was installed on the museum’s second floor in November 2017.
“It was a great hit so we wanted to create an exhibit around the entire plane area,” said Lisa Shull, executive director of Explore More Discovery Museum in downtown Harrisonburg.
The plane was manufactured in 1969 and was used by the military in the Vietnam War and First Gulf War. Dynamic Aviation purchased a fleet of 124 Beechcraft King Air 90s from the Army in 1996. The planes served many purposes over the years, from putting out wildfires to collecting aerial data, according to a previous DN-R article.
With the airport’s sponsorship, Explore More, located at 150 S. Main St., has added a mock airline terminal area and shell of an air traffic control tower in the aviation exhibit.
The nonprofit raised more than $10,000 last year, and Shull hopes it is able to raise more this year.
“We realize that a lot of children may never have an opportunity to fly in a real plane,” she said. “[ By] pretending to be the pilot or passenger or air traffic controller, they really get an idea about what aviation is all about.”
Heather Ream, the director of marketing at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, said the airport, at 77 Aviation Circle, helped design the exhibit and has supported the
effort financially.
“They had a great plan, but what they really needed was finances,” she said.
The 5K run was “a good opportunity to be involved and get the aviation exhibit off the ground,” Ream said.
The proceeds from this year’s race will fund the installation of technology that will allow those in the air traffic control tower to communicate with whomever is inside the plane. A recent survey showed the aviation exhibit is one of the most popular of Explore More’s 15 interactive children’s exhibits, Shull said.
A 1K Fun Run for children ages 3 to 12 will kick off at 8:30 a.m. The short race will allow kids to run down the taxiway. The 5K will begin at 9 a. m. The route includes the 1-mile runway as well as the taxiway to reach the slightly over 3-mile race.
Run the Runway drew in 350 runners last year and 100 kids for the Fun Run.
The race is open to runners and walkers of all levels.
“It’s a nice, flat course; so, it’s handicap accessible and stroller-friendly,” Shull said.
The 5K will not impact the airport’s commercial operations.
“The runway reopens before our next scheduled arrival,” Ream said. The Run the Runway 5K is part of Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport’s mission to support aviation education among youth, Ream said.
“Right now, there’s a national shortage of pilots and aviation mechanics,” she said. “Hopefully, by supporting the Explore More Discovery Museum’s aviation exhibit and other events … we’re able to spark an interest
in aviation in our younger generation that may lead to a career path.”
Runners can register the day of the race, but the deadline for a T- shirt is March 31. The kid’s Fun Run costs $15 and the 5K race is $25. For more information, visit www.iexploremore.com/run.
By SHELBY MERTENS
Daily News-Record 3/21/19
HARRISONBURG — It’s not every day you can run on an airport runway, but area children will have the opportunity to do just that on the morning of April 13 for the Run the Runway 5K.
The Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave will shut down its runway for the second annual event.
The 5K race was created last year to support the expansion of Explore More’s aviation exhibit. Dynamic Aviation, an aviation company based in Bridgewater, donated a Beechcraft King Air 90s airplane that was installed on the museum’s second floor in November 2017.
“It was a great hit so we wanted to create an exhibit around the entire plane area,” said Lisa Shull, executive director of Explore More Discovery Museum in downtown Harrisonburg.
The plane was manufactured in 1969 and was used by the military in the Vietnam War and First Gulf War. Dynamic Aviation purchased a fleet of 124 Beechcraft King Air 90s from the Army in 1996. The planes served many purposes over the years, from putting out wildfires to collecting aerial data, according to a previous DN-R article.
With the airport’s sponsorship, Explore More, located at 150 S. Main St., has added a mock airline terminal area and shell of an air traffic control tower in the aviation exhibit.
The nonprofit raised more than $10,000 last year, and Shull hopes it is able to raise more this year.
“We realize that a lot of children may never have an opportunity to fly in a real plane,” she said. “[ By] pretending to be the pilot or passenger or air traffic controller, they really get an idea about what aviation is all about.”
Heather Ream, the director of marketing at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, said the airport, at 77 Aviation Circle, helped design the exhibit and has supported the
effort financially.
“They had a great plan, but what they really needed was finances,” she said.
The 5K run was “a good opportunity to be involved and get the aviation exhibit off the ground,” Ream said.
The proceeds from this year’s race will fund the installation of technology that will allow those in the air traffic control tower to communicate with whomever is inside the plane. A recent survey showed the aviation exhibit is one of the most popular of Explore More’s 15 interactive children’s exhibits, Shull said.
A 1K Fun Run for children ages 3 to 12 will kick off at 8:30 a.m. The short race will allow kids to run down the taxiway. The 5K will begin at 9 a. m. The route includes the 1-mile runway as well as the taxiway to reach the slightly over 3-mile race.
Run the Runway drew in 350 runners last year and 100 kids for the Fun Run.
The race is open to runners and walkers of all levels.
“It’s a nice, flat course; so, it’s handicap accessible and stroller-friendly,” Shull said.
The 5K will not impact the airport’s commercial operations.
“The runway reopens before our next scheduled arrival,” Ream said. The Run the Runway 5K is part of Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport’s mission to support aviation education among youth, Ream said.
“Right now, there’s a national shortage of pilots and aviation mechanics,” she said. “Hopefully, by supporting the Explore More Discovery Museum’s aviation exhibit and other events … we’re able to spark an interest
in aviation in our younger generation that may lead to a career path.”
Runners can register the day of the race, but the deadline for a T- shirt is March 31. The kid’s Fun Run costs $15 and the 5K race is $25. For more information, visit www.iexploremore.com/run.
