- May 2, 2024
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Female grand master winner Cherise Wintz. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Participants and friends line the finish as the runners come in. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Cassie Triplett of Flagler Beach and friend Tina Van Schaik enjoyed the unique race. Photo by Brent Woronoff
People line the finish area to watch the final runners come in. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Blanca Gonzalez of Crescent City, right, brought along family members. Photo by Brent Woronoff
A volunteer dances to “YMCA.” Photo by Brent Woronoff
Realty Executives Oceanside won the “Light Up the Runway” team costume award. Photo by Brent Woronoff
The veteran runners like the flat surface. The walkers enjoy the experience. All of the participants love the festival-like atmosphere at the Rotary Club of Flagler Beach’s Race of the Runways 5K.
“I haven’t run a race at night before. It was a lot of fun. The lights were cool,” said overall winner Michael Klein, who finished the Feb. 26 race on the runways of the Flagler Executive Airport in 17 minutes, 33 seconds.
The 23-year-old Palm Coast resident ran track and cross country at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and ran away with the race. Erik Hansen, 34, of Ormond Beach finished second, more than a minute behind Klein.
Katie Perkins, 36, of Port Orange was the female winner with a time of 21:41.
The Rotary Club of Flagler Beach started the race 11 years ago. Airport director Roy Sieger was delivering a briefing to the club about the airport, when, on his way out, he walked past a group of Rotarians talking about their plans to organize a 5K.
“I stopped, and said, ‘If you want to have a lot of fun, let’s do it at the airport,’” Sieger said.
Each year, Sieger leads the race in a truck. Another vehicle follows the last person. Runway lights illuminate the course. A helicopter flies over with a searchlight. Safety personnel are stationed all around the area, and a bus runs back and forth to pick up runners or walkers who want to ride back to the finish line.
Participants are encouraged to wear glow lights or glow-in-the-dark clothing. A post-race party includes food, music and dancing.
“It’s a great opportunity to showcase the airport to our community. Unless you’re an aviator you don’t normally have a reason to come down here. We use the proceeds to fund projects for the community.”
ROY SIEGER, Flagler Executive Airport director
“It’s a great opportunity to showcase the airport to our community,” Sieger said. “Unless you’re an aviator, you don’t normally have a reason to come down here. We use the proceeds to fund projects for the community.”
Sieger said the race has been gaining popularity with more than 500 participants over the last couple of years.
Cherise Wintz, the female grand masters winner, ran a race earlier in the day in New Smyrna Beach but didn’t want to miss this unique event.
Wintz, 56, of Ponce Inlet, has been running for 11 years.
“I started running at a boot camp and then I opened up a fitness center. Now I run with a group of people, ‘Heavenly Strong,’ because I have faith in God and friendships.”
Marie-Louise Michelsohn, 80, of Flagler Beach won the female 80-84 age division with a time of 31:01 that would have won the 70-74 division.
Michelsohn’s husband, Blaine Lawson, won the male 80-84 division, finishing in 42:08, long after his wife had a chance to enjoy a refreshment. Still, Lawson won the division by almost seven minutes ahead of Palm Coast’s Tom McKinney.
Michelsohn was inducted into the USA Track and Field’s Masters Hall of Fame in 2008. She has been running since she was 53.
“I started running when my daughter had a brain hemorrhage,” she said. “It helped me deal with the stress, and I loved it.”
Her daughter is in good health today, and she was going to join them in the race, Michelsohn said.
Michelsohn and Lawson have been together for 46 years and they run together every day.
Team OMG (Ocean Marina Gals) participated in the race for the first time, although the trio of Sue Morris, Sara Wilkins and Jan Gleason, had been hounded for years to enter by their friend, Rotarian Cathy Ruizgoubert.
“This year, we came,” said Wilkins. “We all walk together, four miles a day.”
The club handed out 40 awards for male and female age-group winners as well as masters, grand masters, senior grand masters and overall winners. There were also awards for best and brightest costume, best male and female costumes, and team “Light Up the Runway” costume.
The 10-member team from Realty Executives Oceanside won the “Light Up the Runway” award. The team stayed together throughout the race.
