Hundreds turn out on beautiful but windy day to run around the airport

A speedy race by Brendan Morphet wasn’t quite enough to break the 30-minute barrier.

Whitehorse’s Morphet won the Air North Family Fun Run in 30:55 this year, leaving David Eikelboom’s 2015 28:42 course record still standing.

Morphet, who hadn’t competed in the race for a few years, said he was happy with his run, setting a personal best on the 8.75-kilometre course around the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport despite a nasty headwind on the back stretch.

“The headwind on the back side was killer,” he said. “But other than that it was really good.”

Morphet joined a couple hundred people at the start line Saturday morning in the shadow of Air North’s hangar C. The walkers set off first, some with the practised gait of a professional walker, others pushing strollers or in a group with friends.

Next up were the runners. Morphet set out to an early lead, eventually finishing almost three minutes ahead of second-place Naiose Demspey (33:37). John Parry (34:32) rounded out third.

On the women’s side, Camille Galloway finished first in a time of 35:29.

It was her first time racing the airport fun run.

“It was good, it was windy,” said the UBC Okanagan nursing student.

“There was a little hill before you got to the highway again and that was really hard. My legs were dead after that.”

But, the Whitehorse local, who joined her university’s cross-country running team last fall, persevered, pushing hard down the final stretch.

“It was really beautiful,” she said. “It’s hard to concentrate on the scenery though when your legs are dying.”

The top three walkers were John Storms (51:09), Bonnie Love (57:35) and Jane Haydock (1:00:06).

The fun run, hosted annually by Air North, was capped with a pancake breakfast.

A portion of the entry fees for the event go to the Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon.