At the NYRR Queens 10K on June 17, elite runner Esther Atkins had a flight scheduled just two hours after her expected finish. So instead of wasting time and money trying to track down a cab to the airport and risk getting stuck in inevitable New York traffic, she did what any runner would do: she ran there. 

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Atkins, 31, wanted to make her trip from her home in Greenville, South Carolina, to New York City fast and inexpensive, and the cheapest flight she could find left LaGuardia Airport at 10:29 a.m. and included a three-hour layover in Philadelphia. No, this is not your typical elite runner’s travel situation, but as a member of the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) who likes to run as many club points races as possible, Atkins goes back and forth a lot. 

“I actually booked it at first, but I panicked when I realized I was cutting it way too close,” Atkins told Runner’s World via email. “So I cancelled the flight.”

But upon further inspection of a map of New York City, she realized her original plan could actually work. Atkins found a pedestrian path just a mile from the race’s finish that would take her directly to the airport, so she rebooked her flight. 

When Atkins arrived at her Airbnb on the afternoon of June 16, she dropped her backpack off and did a practice run from there to the race’s starting line and from the race’s finish line to the airport so there would be no surprises the next day. 

Race day went just as Atkins had planned. With her backpack in tow, she ran the 1.5 miles from her Airbnb to the 10K at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Esther Atkins route from airbnb to race
Esther Atkins
The route from Atkins' Airbnb to Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

“The hardest part about running with my backpack on was figuring out what to do with my arms,” she said. “But the bag itself wasn’t heavy or hard to run with.” 

She then picked up her bib, found someone to watch her things, and lined up for the 7:45 a.m. start.

“I knew I would finish the race around 8:20 a.m.—and I did—and that the run to LaGuardia would be less than two miles to the shuttle. So all I needed to cover was two miles within an hour from when I finished the race.” 

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The only thing Atkins was worried about was the possibility of a drug test derailing her carefully thought out timing. 

“During the race I was legitimately thinking more about whether or not I was hydrated enough for a quick pee at drug testing and how quickly I could fill out the necessary paperwork,” she said. “I rehearsed which vitamins I'd taken the day before so I could recite them without any omissions.”

Atkins crossed the finish line in 35:33, finishing third overall female. 

the race route
Esther Atkins
The NYRR Queens 10K race route.

“I looked around to make sure nobody was trying to find me for drug testing, said goodbye to my teammates, and jogged over to where I had stashed my backpack with some helpers. Then I strapped myself into the pack and jogged to the airport.”

Esther Atkins route from race to airport
Esther Atkins
The route from the NYRR Queens 10K to LaGuardia Airport.

She made it to LaGuardia by 8:41 a.m., hopped on the shuttle, and was even able to change once she got to her terminal. By the time she got through security, it was 9:20 a.m. And although she still would have made it with an hour to spare, her flight was delayed by 30 minutes, leaving her even more time to relax.

“Once I got there, I thought, ‘that was easy,’” she said. “I had a really fun 24 hours.” 

preview for Esther Atkins Races to Airport Story

Above, Michael Wardian sets the continental marathon record. 

Headshot of Danielle Zickl
Danielle Zickl
Senior Editor
Danielle Zickl for Runner's World and Bicycling.