Runners pack the runway at Naples Airport for annual 5K, 10K
The Floridant/10353196

NAPLES, Fla. - Floridant -- Runners – not planes – glided down the runway and taxiway at Naples Airport for a one-of-a-kind race that is more about the experience than the final chip time.

Held Nov. 7, the sold-out fourth annual Naples Airport Runway 5K and 10K race attracted 600 runners, joggers, walkers and aviation enthusiasts who zigzagged across the airfield with the sun rising above the horizon. Private jets, vintage aircraft, helicopters and emergency vehicles lined the racecourse, which stretched along the airport's perimeter road, apron, taxiway, runway, air control tower, hangars and fuel farm.

"In just four years, the Runway 5K and 10K has become a signature race in Southwest Florida that attracts sprinters, endurance athletes and weekend warriors as well as families who simply want to soak in the atmosphere," said Chris Rozansky, executive director of the Naples Airport Authority. "It's part race, part aviation exhibit, and that's what makes this event so special for participants, airport tenants and our staff."

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Race plans were approved by the Federal Aviation Administration and permitted by the Naples City Council. Runway 14/32 was closed to aircraft during the event, but Runway 05/23 remained active and several jets departed during the race.

All finishers received a specially designed race T-shirt, custom medal and finish-line video. Gulf Coast Runners presented awards to top finishers in all age categories.

In the 5K race, CJ Gustafson, 35, of Naples, was the top overall male finisher with a time of 17 minutes, 15 seconds. Elise Mueller, 24, of Villanova, Pennsylvania, was the top overall female runner with a time of 18 minutes, 23 seconds.

In the 10K race, Marvin Meironat, 35, of Herten, Germany, was the top male finisher with a time of 38 minutes, 4 seconds. The top female runner was Beth Marzigliano, 40, of Naples, with time of 39 minutes, 56 seconds.

The Naples Airport Runway 5K and 10K was sponsored by the Naples Airport Authority, Gulf Coast Runners, AvFuel, Audi Naples, The Michelle Thomas Team with Premier Sotheby's International Realty and RunForLife.com.

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Proceeds from the race will be split between Gulf Coast Runners, a nonprofit that provides local teen runners with college and trade school scholarships, and the Naples Chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, a nonprofit that offers scholarships to aspiring pilots, aircraft mechanics and engineers.

A complete list of race finishers is available online at RunSignup.com/Race/Results/Overview/154073.