I n February, I received an unexpected assignment from the General Manager: “Katarina, could you research the experiences of other airports, as I’d like us to organise a race on the runway and put on a good show!” There’s been talk among airport runners about this idea before, but the conclusion was always the same - un- feasible. That’s why I sceptically called the Director of Se- curity to hear the final verdict, and was relieved to hear him say: “It will be complicated, but we will do it”. Numerous meetings ensued: flight schedule charts were examined in search of an agenda that would not jeopardise traffic, racetrack issues were discussed, as well as the necessary lighting, music, refreshments, transporta- tion of runners, the setting up of wardrobe tents and the most important thing – the entry of people and equip- ment into a security-restricted area. In running terms, the event’s organisation resembled the experience of a half-marathon. It appears at the start to be an impossible mission, but when the horn blows and the runners set off, you realise you’re in good shape and that there’s no reason to worry. Over the upcoming kilometres, you wave to elderly ladies who cheer you on and high-five children who stick their hands out from the curb, feeling a lot like a VIP and a sporting personality par excellence. And just when you picture yourself with a lau- rel wreath on your head, the concrete vastness of Milu- tin Milanković Boulevard opens up, the sun burns as it’s noon and there’s no shade anyhwere to be seen, every metre is longer than the previous one and you become aware that it is the 18 th kilometre and you will probably drop dead rather than reach the finish line. States of mind will shift until you reach Terazije Square: in some you’ll trust in yourself, in others you won’t; first your knees will fail you, then your groin, and when one starts function- ing again, the other will start to hurt. Our organisational 18 th kilometer began after the press conference at which we announced the race on the run- way of Nikola Tesla Airport. There was no going back: you told your sister to cheer you on, and now the whole fam- ily is standing and waiting for you to appear. Meanwhile, you’re shoving one leg in front of the other, wondering how in the world you will reach the finish line? How to get permits for all these people to enter a se- curity-restricted area? How to bring in the equipment and podium, and water, and knives for banana, and how to set everything up in a few hours; how to do it all in two hours? Check-in procedures for entering security-restricted areas are complicated, while here it was done for more than 600 runners, but also organisers, sponsors and jour- nalists. Runway site visits were necessary, and they some- times happened at the worst times - like that day after the Final Four competition when six wide-body aircraft took off from the airport in one day for the first time. Only the employees of the customs warehouse can tell you how much work they put in during the night before the race, when all the equipment was carried in and scanned, as well as the X-ray operators who were on duty that night, the firefighters, security guards, and operations and safe- ty managers. I will only say that when a person crosses the finish line, despite everything, and has a medal placed around their neck, thez look at the people around them and ask: “Shall we do it again?”
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