Midway, Chicago Lawn & Ashburn

Sports & Outdoors

Midway 5K Will Let You Take Off From Airport Runway (On Foot)

August 30, 2017 8:07am | Updated September 5, 2017 11:44am
A Southwest Airlines place at Midway International Airport during sunrise
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Flickr/Luis Cuevas

MIDWAY — One of Chicago's most unique races — which lets you start near airliners taking off and landing — will be held Sept. 17 at Midway International Airport.

Registration is open for the fifth annual Midway Fly Away 5k Run and Walk. The event, a fundraiser for the Special Olympics Chicago, is a family-friendly race that provides views of the skyline and the chance to view jets taking off and landing while you run.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the top male and female runners, but there is much more to the event than the race. The "Midway runner" — or the person who finishes exactly in the middle of the pack, will win Southwest Airlines tickets, Special Olympics Chicago said. Those who raise more than $250 will be entered into a contest to win two round-trip tickets courtesy of Southwest.

Grade-school kids can participate in the milelong "The Midway Miler" race. This year, the event will host a challenge for local middle schools and will provide bus transportation to the airport for schools with more than 40 kids signed up. The school with the most students signed up will win a trophy and a pizza party.

Students can sign up for $20, and kids games and face-painting will also be available during the day, according to Special Olympics Chicago.

Race participation is $40 for adults and includes T-shirt, refreshments and free parking at the Midway Airport Economy lot, 5050 W. 55th St. Activities before the race, including raffles and the kids' games, will take place in a hangar on the airfield, the organization said.

The Southwest hangar, 5035 W. 55th St., will open to participants at 8 a.m. on the day of the race, and shuttle service to the event hangar will run from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Those interested in the race can register here.

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