Nike’s After Dark London 10K Will Cross the Runway at London City Airport

Most people who set foot in London City Airport arrive with a boarding pass and a carry-on. On the evening of Saturday, Oct. 17, a sold-out field of runners will get onto its runway with nothing but a race bib, as the London stop of Nike’s After Dark Tour routes its 10K course over the airfield.

The race starts and finishes at Silverworks Island in the Royal Docks, with waves going off between 6:30 and 7 p.m. From there the closed-road course follows the Royal Victoria Dock waterfront and passes Millennium Mills before it reaches the airport, where, as Nike’s event page puts it, “participants will have the rare opportunity to race on the airport runway itself.” Nike calls the route fast and flat, and the highest point on it is only 14 meters above sea level, though runners will also cross boardwalks, gravel paths and a few narrow sections along the docks. It makes for one of the more unusual courses in a city that already has a strong claim to being the world’s running capital.

London City closes to flights at 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays under the noise restrictions that cover the neighborhoods around it, so the runway has been empty for hours by the time anyone lines up. The airport asked to keep flying until 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays, but in August 2024 the U.K. government turned the request down while approving a rise in its annual passenger cap to 9 million, according to The Business Travel Magazine. Alison FitzGerald, the airport’s chief executive, said at the time it was “disappointed with the Government’s decision to reject our proposal.” Had the extension gone through, the last departures of the day would be leaving at around the time the first wave sets off.

Every stop on the tour is a night race, and this is the second year Nike has run it. London is one of four 10Ks, along with Manila, Mumbai and Shanghai, while Los Angeles, Mexico City and Sydney host half-marathons. Nike said in its March announcement that more than 50,000 women ran the first tour in 2025, and that one in three of them had never raced before.

Last year’s London race, the final stop of the 2025 tour, was held on Nov. 23 at ExCeL London, also in the Royal Docks. Runners did laps of an enclosed indoor and outdoor circuit, with a 1K qualifier deciding the seeding for three 10K races, and it caused an uproar afterward when several women said they only found out men were in the field once they reached the start pens. This year’s FAQ answers the question head on, describing the tour as “a women focused race” and adding that “while all runners are welcome, all participants are encouraged to embrace and celebrate the intent of the race.”

It took about six hours for Denver International Airport to sell all 2,500 places in its 5K on the Runway, a September race put on with the Denver Colfax Marathon, Running USA reported. London City has opened its runway to runners before as well, for a staff charity run with British Airways that raised £12,000 ($15,900) for the mental health charity Mind.

Entry for the London race cost £45 ($60) and was open to anyone 18 or over. Waves are seeded by predicted 10K time, from a first wave for runners expecting to finish in 40 to 50 minutes to a fourth for anyone planning on 70 minutes to two hours, and anyone who can’t hold the pace the rolling road closures require may be redirected off the course. Bibs have to be collected in person at Nike’s Oxford Circus store, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on race day. The closest stations are Custom House, on the Elizabeth line and the DLR, and Prince Regent on the DLR, though Prince Regent won’t be available to runners heading home, and Pontoon Dock has no access to the event at all. The post-race show is due to start at about 9:30 p.m.