RunSedona announced on Friday, Jan. 31, that the inaugural “Run the Runway” event, planned to take place on the runway of the Sedona Airport following the Sedona half marathon on Saturday, Feb. 1, would not take place.
“BlueWolf Events, Sedona Airport and the Sedona Chamber of Commerce deeply regret to inform you that the Federal Aviation Administration has notified us that the Run the Runway race will not longer take place on the Sedona Airport Runway tomorrow,” RunSedona posted on Facebook at 4:26 p.m. on Jan. 31. “Run the Runway will now be held at the main RunSedona course.”
The event had been announced by the Sedona Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 17.
“The FAA notified me of a complaint, and this is from the spouse of a recently-terminated employee, last Thursday evening at about 7 p.m.,” airport manager Ed Rose said on Feb. 4. The complaint was simply that the airport had authorized a runway closure for an event. “I made several attempts to speak with the leadership of the airport’s district office on Friday the 31st. They were unresponsive.”
“After consulting with counsel, I was advised that it would probably be best to cancel this event and coordinate for next year,” Rose continued. “Runway closures are a common occurrence. The appropriate [Notice to Airmen] was issued for the hour and a half closure it would have taken to conduct this event. Similar events are conducted at airports around the state with a simple NOTAM closure. I can only suspect that since the FAA had a very busy week last week, this may have influenced their actions.”
An American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided over Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 31, killing 67.
The airport manager and specific airport personnel have the ability to authorize temporary closures of the runway for special events or activities or in response to accidents. The Sedona Airport was scheduled to undergo another temporary closure on Feb. 10 for drilling to take core samples from the runway.
“In my mind, this was just another opportunity to close the runway to host a fantastic community event,” Rose said. “Great potential community exposure to the airport. A little de-mystification. I don’t know how many of these runners have ever been to the airport before, but this was a chance to get people up here and see what it’s all about.”
