The logo of the World Airline Road Race featuring a globe of the world surrounded by a laurel wreath.

World Airline Road Race Festival London 2010

The event logo of the World Airline Road Race 2010 London featuring a running shoe whose lace forms the course of the river Thames over well known London landmarks

British Airways Athletics Club

The logo of the British Airways Athletics Club.

The British Airways Athletics Club (BAAC) is as old as the World Airline Road Race itself, having been founded in 1981 as a section within the British Airways staff sports and social club, now known as BA Clubs.  BAAC has around 150 members and can call upon many “reserves” to help with bigger events.

 

In 1985 the London Marathon organisers invited the club to provide marshals for four road crossing points close to the finish, then on Westminster Bridge. The club has provided marshals every year since – in recent years over 100 marshals across five crossing points and the club also provides two of the seven ‘Senior’ Stewards for the course – covering the last two sections. Significant numbers of marshals are also provided for three other events run by the London Marathon group including the adidas Women’s 5k Challenge in Hyde Park each September. The London Marathon group are happy to endorse the professionalism of the BAAC (opens new window).

 

The British Airways “Race for Life” 5k is another popular event which relies heavily on BAAC to set up and marshal the race course.

 

The biggest event the club has previously organised on its own was the 1985 World Airline Road Race using Hyde Park as the race venue.

 

The club’s recent credentials include organising a dozen open events each year, the largest of which is the Concorde 10k. That event is around twenty years old and is traditionally run on a certified course in West London around the streets of Heston and in Cranford Park. It is run with the full support of the local authority (Hounslow), the local Police and the Park Rangers. Matters such as course marking, marshalling, the provision of first aid and refreshments are dealt with each year.

 

The club also run numerous in-house events and experience through participation other events across London, England and the whole world.

 

British Airways Athletics Club Website: http://www.baac1.toucansurf.com/ (opens new window).

 

British Airways Clubs Website: http://www.baclubs.com/ (opens new window).