MOBILE, Ala. — Runners and walkers traded city streets for airport pavement Saturday as the BFM 5K on the Runway returned to Mobile International Airport. More than 600 participants registered for the Halloween morning race, which gave them a rare chance to run directly on an active airport’s runway in Mobile.
The Mobile Airport Authority hosts the event, which pairs a 5-kilometer race with a 1-mile fun run. Proceeds benefit the Mobile Airport Authority Foundation, which supports charitable, educational and aviation-related initiatives in the Mobile area.
Race-day schedule
The airport authority laid out the following schedule for Saturday, Oct. 31:
- 8 a.m.: In-person registration and packet pickup open; the 5K race was also scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.
- 9 a.m.: 1-mile fun run
- 10 a.m.: Awards ceremony
The 1-mile fun run gave younger runners, families and casual walkers a shorter option, while the 5K, about 3.1 miles, offered a full race on the airfield. The awards ceremony capped the morning.
A race unlike any other in Mobile
Most road races in the area follow neighborhood streets, waterfront paths or downtown blocks. The BFM 5K stands apart because participants run on the runway itself, an area normally off-limits to anyone who is not an aircraft, a pilot or authorized airport personnel. Runways are wide, flat and long, making them an unusual but fast surface for a race, and the open airfield setting gives participants a view of the airport rarely seen from the ground.
Events like this require close coordination between race organizers and airport operations, since the runway must be cleared and secured for the duration of the race before returning to normal use.
Supporting the Mobile Airport Authority Foundation
Money raised by the race goes to the Mobile Airport Authority Foundation. According to the airport authority, the foundation supports charitable, educational and aviation-related initiatives in the Mobile area.
With more than 600 runners and walkers registered, the race is a sizable community fundraiser and an opportunity for the airport authority to welcome the public to the airfield during a period of major change at BFM.
A historic airfield in transition
Mobile International Airport, which uses the airport code BFM, sits at the Brookley Aeroplex on the city’s south side along Mobile Bay. The site has a long aviation history. It was home to Brookley Air Force Base, once one of the area’s largest employers, until the federal government closed the base in the late 1960s, a decision that dealt a major blow to the local economy at the time.
In the decades since, the former base has been redeveloped as an industrial and aviation complex. Airbus operates its U.S. commercial aircraft final assembly lines at Brookley, building A320 family and A220 jetliners there.
The Mobile Airport Authority is now moving the city’s commercial passenger service from Mobile Regional Airport in west Mobile to the downtown airfield, where a new passenger terminal is under construction and expected to open next spring.
Road work around Brookley
The race comes just days before a significant traffic change near the airport. Beginning Monday, Nov. 2, the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Broad Street near the Brookley Aeroplex will close so crews can build a roundabout that will become the main entrance to the new Mobile International Airport. The airport authority has said the closure is expected to remain in place through March 22.
During the closure, Michigan Avenue will be closed from south of Interstate 10 to Avenue I, and Broad Street will be closed west of 3rd Street. The airport authority has posted detour routes: businesses east of Michigan Avenue can use the Duval Street or Broad Street exits from I-10, while businesses south of Broad Street can use Perimeter Road and Dauphin Island Parkway. Officials have cautioned that dates and traffic patterns could change as work progresses.
Race at a glance
- Event: BFM 5K on the Runway and 1-mile fun run
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
- Location: Mobile International Airport (BFM), Brookley Aeroplex
- Host: Mobile Airport Authority
- Participants: More than 600 runners and walkers registered
- Beneficiary: Mobile Airport Authority Foundation
For runners who missed the chance to race on the runway this year, the area’s fall race calendar stays busy. Upcoming events include the Magnolia Springs 5K on Nov. 7, the Foley Rotary Oyster Run on Nov. 14 and the Coastal Half Marathon, 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run in Orange Beach on Nov. 28.
