O'Hare hosts '5K on the Runway' race

More than 2,000 people -- including several with plastic planes on their heads -- put the "run" in runway Sunday with a first-of-its-kind race at O'Hare International Airport.

Chicago's O'Hare Modernization Program hosted the "5K on the Runway" race to unveil the first new runway at the airport since 1971.

Karen Aldworth, 51, of Shorewood, was among those who ran with a floppy plastic jet on her head.

"I've never done anything like this," she said. "It was very memorable. I had a ball."

Several runners threw out their arms as they stepped onto the runway and made mock jet sounds as they glided back and forth as if they were airplanes.

Real jets using adjacent runways screamed just hundreds of feet overhead during the race, and bright red signs along the race route read, "Stop! Aircraft Movement Area."

Proceeds from the event will support a $750,000 sculpture titled "Runners" that will be installed at O'Hare.

The race was part of a community outreach effort at the airport that also included food vendors, entertainment and a run for kids.