For participants, it was a rare chance for a morning run along a 7,000-foot runway as the Peterborough airport closed its airstrip Sunday morning to allow more than 100 runners to compete in a 10- and 5-kilometre charity race.
Airport Manager Trent Gervais says it was a chance to support the community —specifically, the Brock Mission. The race was held at the same time of the Air Legends show.
“The airport is a jewel of the community,” Gervais says. “It’s very rare that we shut down the runway. So today was about coming out and seeing what this infrastructure is all about.”
The race was like a homecoming for a brother and sister combination. Peter and Katherine Watson share a connection to the area and with the air force as well. And both took home gold in their divisions.
“Our brother is in the forces and he’s a pilot on the Harvard two, and he was showing it off. So we came down to visit him and do the run,” Peter Watson says.
“We grew up outside of Lindsay and did a lot of stuff here in Peterborough growing up, and our parents still live in Dunsford,” Katherine Watson adds.
The Air Legends show continued, the main attraction being the B-29 Superfortress bomber named Fifi.
Commemorative Air Force spokesman Don Boccaccio says they are very happy with the response.
“We had a tremendous crowd,” Boccaccio says. “It’s been a great experience here. For a small area, it’s been really receptive.”
Day one of the Air Legends show saw more than 7,500 people come out to the airport. That matched the two-day total from last year’s show.
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