Runners lacing up for Saturday will not be hitting the usual pavement loop — they will be jogging across actual airport runways, weaving past a private jet, a helicopter and a pair of World War II-era planes parked along the route. The first-ever North Perry Airport 5K on the Runway is set for Saturday, November 7, 2026, and the field is already full.
According to Broward County, the event marks the airport's first time hosting a race of this kind, inviting participants to “Walk, Run, Fly” across the property. The race is hosted jointly by Broward County and North Perry Airport, according to the event's RunSignup listing, which also notes the event is being held under the hosting of Commissioner Alexandra P. Davis. The county's own social media announcement, posted on X
the day before the race, called it “This isn't your usual 5K” — except this one trades sidewalks for tarmac.
A Certified Course With Planes as Scenery
The route is billed as a family-friendly, certified 5K that runs inside the airport fence and across three separate runways, per the RunSignup page. Along the way, participants will pass aircraft staged for the occasion, including two World War II airplanes, a private jet, a helicopter and an amphibian airplane, the listing states. Every registered runner or walker is set to receive an event T-shirt and an aviation-themed medal for finishing.
Same-day registration is allowed for runners hoping to join Saturday's run, according to the RunSignup page.
Strict Timing Rules for Runway Access
Because the course cuts across active airport property, organizers built in firm windows for when runners can be on the tarmac. Participants must be checked in no later than 7 a.m. on race day, and everyone taking part is required to be off the runways by 10:30 a.m., according to the event listing. A county snippet separately lists a 7:30 a.m. EST start time, though that detail carries lower confidence than the check-in and clearance windows spelled out on the registration page.
The race is open to the public, but minor children must be accompanied by a registered adult participating alongside them, the listing notes. Pets, skateboards, rollerblades, bikes and motorized vehicles are all barred from the runways for safety reasons.
Where Exactly Is North Perry Airport?
Even the race's home base comes with a wrinkle. Broward County's own social media post describing Saturday's race listed the location as “North Perry Airport, Hollywood,” while the county's North Perry Airport page separately describes the facility as “located in Pembroke Pines, Fla.” The dossier does not explain the discrepancy between the two county sources.
Runway Races Taking Off Elsewhere
North Perry's debut follows a wave of similar events around the country that turn active airfields into race courses for a few hours. Denver International Airport held its second 5K on the Runway in September, drawing enough interest that registration filled in about half the time it took for the airport's 2022 race, according to The Denver Gazette. That race closed one runway to traffic while the airport's five other runways kept operating, and organizers told the paper that pulling it off required FAA approvals, coordination with TSA and a thorough sweep of the tarmac for debris beforehand. Planning for Denver's event took roughly eight months, the outlet reported.
A smaller version of the format is also planned later this month in Tennessee, where a 5K on the Runway at Greeneville Municipal Airport is set to begin at 10 a.m. on November 14, with day-of registration opening an hour earlier and a $35 entry fee, per the Greeneville Sun. That race, open to runners and walkers of all ages and fitness levels, will send its proceeds to the Greeneville Civil Air Patrol Squadron.
