The Plymouth Runway Mile and 5K are held at Plymouth Municipal Airport as a fundraising effort for AlphaFlight, a locally owned flight school that is based out of Plymouth.
Flight training is a costly endeavor and is often the largest hurdle that students must manage in order to pursue their dreams of becoming a pilot. All proceeds from Plymouth Runway will support scholarship opportunities for students through AlphaFlight.
Both the Runway Mile and Runway 5K are competitive races with chip timing and overall/age group awards. Strollers are welcomed. Any child completing the course under their own power will need to be registered. If a child is being pushed in a stroller, that child does not need registered for the event.
There will be numerous aircraft including airplanes and helicopters parked for participants and spectators to enjoy. There will also be an opportunity for helicopter rides (for a fee). The runway will be closed to aircraft operations for the duration of the event so that participants have the unique opportunity to race on the actual runway. Expect fast racing, food trucks, and aviation fun!
Plymouth Runway Mile: 9:00am start
The one-mile course starts on the south side of the main airport building. Participants will race on the newly constructed taxiway for 1/2 mile before turning onto the runway itself and heading back to the finish. Course map available at a future date. While all ages and abilities (and strollers!) are welcome, this is a competitive race. It will be chip-timed and there will be awards. When registering, we ask participants to estimate their finish time in case we need to utilize a wave start so that all participants have the opportunity for their best race. Presence of a wave start will depend on registration numbers. There will be overall and age group awards for the Runway Mile. There are no finisher medals for the Runway Mile. The finish line for Runway Mile participants will close at 9:30am, and we will immediately begin presenting awards to ensure completion prior to the 5K start.
Plymouth Runway 5K: 10:00am start
The 5K course starts on the south side of the main airport building. Participants will race on the newly constructed taxiway for 1/2 mile before turning onto the runway itself and heading back toward the finish. Runners will cut between the hangars and run counterclockwise around the airport before cutting through a gate onto the large ramp (airplane parking lot). Here participants will pass back over the starting line before turning onto the runway where they will have the unique opportunity to run the length of the entire runway (heading East) before then turning onto the taxiway and racing West back to the finish! Course map available at a future date. There will be overall and age group awards for the Runway 5K. There are no finisher medals for the Runway 5K. The finish line for Runway 5K participants will close at 11:00am (19:19/mile pace) with awards immediately following.
Plymouth Runway Challenge
The Plymouth Runway Challenge is an opportunity to compete in both races at a discount! Registration for the Challenge will get you a bib for both races at a cheaper price than registering for both separately.
Why would anyone want to sign up for two races? Besides the pride that comes with completing two races in the same day, participants will also receive a custom finisher medal for completing the Challenge. Finishers are still eligible for overall and age group awards in both individual races. Note: there are no performance-based awards for the Challenge, only the custom finisher medal. Participants must finish both races in their respective time limits to receive the finisher medal. Medal will be presented at the Runway 5K finish line.
Awards
Cash prizes to the top 3 male & female finishers in both the Mile & 5K races. Overall award finishers will be excluded from the age group awards.
1st: $100
2nd: $50
3rd: $25
Age group awards to the top 3 finishers in each age group in both the Mile and 5K races. Age groups are as listed: 8 & under, 9-11, 12-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+
Registration
Registration through RunSignup is the only way to register for the Plymouth Runway Mile & 5K. Registration will close 15 minutes prior to the start of each respective race. We will have staff present at packet pick-up and on race morning to help you register if needed, but it will still be done online through RunSignup and a credit card will be needed.
***Shirt sizes are only guaranteed with registration by 5/31. Should you choose "No Shirt" when registering, costs shown below will be $5 less.
Mile registration:
$15 until 6/1/26
$20 starting 6/1/26 until 6/12/26
$25 on Race Day
5K registration:
$25 until 6/1/26
$30 starting 6/1/16 until 6/12/26
$35 on Race Day
Challenge registration:
$35 until 6/1/26
$45 starting 6/1/26 until 6/12/26
$55 on Race Day
Packet Pickup
Packet pickup will be at the airport (301 Airport Rd) on Friday, June 12th, from 3-6pm and on Saturday, June 13th, starting at 7:00am. You may pick up someone else's bib for them. Race bibs will not be handed out after the start of each respective race. For example, once the Mile race starts, we will no longer hand out Mile race bibs. Race shirts, however, may still be picked up.
Parking (IMPORTANT)
Due to limited parking at the airport, parking will be available at the airport on FRIDAY ONLY. On Saturday, participants/spectators will park at Plymouth High School (1 Big Red Drive, Plymouth) and will be shuttled to the airport by bus. The drive takes approximately 7 minutes. Buses will run continuously to and from the airport starting at 6:30am and ending at 12:30pm. Race staff will be present at both pickup/drop off locations to answer any questions.
Refund Policy
We offer a 100% refund, minus the processing fee, if registration refund is requested on or before 5/31/26. There will be no refunds starting 6/1/26. Since this is a fundraising event, there will be no refund for cancellation due to inclement weather.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook at “Plymouth Runway Mile & 5K” for periodic updates and email us at [email protected] for any questions or concerns.