Western Sydney International Airport’s runway run/walk drew 20,000 participants experiencing their new 24-hour global gateway while raising more than $200,000 for sick kids.
Runway run/walk was not a race, it was all about having fun, but for Sydney elite endurance runners James Nipperness and mother of two Gemma Jenkins, having fun means running fast.
The pair christened the new 3.7km WSI runway and wrote their own piece of aviation and athletic history by clocking 1:05:32 and 1:19:15 respectively for their WSI half marathons.
The fact that their newly established records will never be beaten was not lost on Jthem.
“I didn’t really know what to expect, but I loved the fact that everyone was in a happy mood and taking photos throughout the event. That’s what a fun run’s supposed to be about, just a fun community day out. Thanks to everyone that helped put it on,” Nipperness said afterwards.
Gemma Jenkins was initially reluctant to acknowledge her time (7-8 minutes off her personal best) but eventually embraced the historic and personal significance of the performance.
“When I crossed the finish line, and I saw my time come up and I thought I’ll just leave it. But about 4 or 5 hours into the day, I thought, no, I’m going to release this data because I want that Strava Crown,’’ she said.
“No one’s ever going to be really running on that tarmac again. It will be an international airport, and it’ll never be opened up to the public again. In 100 years’ time I will still be the record holder, so it’s a pretty special achievement.’’
WSI CEO Simon Hickey said the day was a wonderful gathering of diverse communities who came together to experience their new 24-hour airport while fundraising for vital services that support sick kids.
“Thank you to everyone who came and took part in this once-in-a-lifetime event – the excitement of the crowds was almost palpable, and it was terrific to give people a behind-the-scenes experience of Sydney’s new global gateway before we launch passenger services,” he said.
“The event partners and hundreds of dedicated volunteers all helped make this day a terrific success and everyone collectively raised significant funds for such a worthy cause – the amazing work of Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network,” he said.
