Flagler County, FL – Never let it be said small can’t equal mighty.
Though it may be a small club, the Rotary Club of Flagler Beach knows how to put on an event, and welcomed more than 500 participants to the 10th Annual Race of the Runways for Rotary on Saturday, February 20.
A smashing success, organizers prepared early on for about 300 but as the weather held out and turned into a beautiful cool day, the registrations continued to climb, surpassing their goal of 500. 
Club president Rosanne Stocker was gratified by the response that helps support so many of the programs the beachside club oversees.
“I believe people are just ready for a safe gathering and this type of event is popular – Race of the Runways is popular in Flagler County anyway, but the fact that we have all these COVID safety protocols in place and we’re able to spread everybody out and make you feel as safe as you can under the current circumstances, I think people are just ready to see other people and have some fun in a beautiful outdoor venue,” said Stocker.
“Rotary is all about doing good and being the good, so Rotary Club of Flagler Beach locally we provide over 1,000 Christmas toys for children in need, we feed 400 families every month, we provide scholarships for students at Matanzas and FPC, we are currently working on a program to provide appreciation meals for our first responders in the COVID frontline workers at two local hospitals, we provide pack and play cribs to help prevent SIDS deaths in Flagler County, we are just constantly on the lookout for ways to improve the community and especially help the most vulnerable among us.”
Held at the Flagler Executive Airport, competitive runners, joggers and walkers were launched in waves, and were able to experience the unique event hosted on the runways as the evening turned into night and the moon and stars were on display.
Airport director Roy Sieger enjoys the opportunity to showcase the airport, and hosting the memorable event on site.
“We’re very excited about it,” said Sieger. “This is actually the largest crowd we’ve ever had. I think it’s why we had such a strong response, is people wanting to get back to a normal life.”
As volunteers handed out after party packs to go, Stocker summed up the evening.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this small but mighty Rotary Club,” said Stocker. “They’ve pulled off the best 5K we’ve ever had.”
