When Goodyear Chief Blimp Pilot Michael Dougherty steps up to the start line at 6:30 a.m. Aug. 9 for the Goodyear Half Marathon and 10K, his eyes − and phone camera − will be on the sky.
And up in the air, his friends and fellow blimp airship pilots will be looking down at the start line as they try to capture the race and its participants from Akron’s infamous airship.
Dougherty has raced Goodyear’s annual half marathon about five times, and he has piloted the blimp during the race just as many. When he runs, it has become a tradition for him to take a photo with the blimp before the race begins. Likewise, whoever is flying the airship will snag a photo of the course in the wee hours of the morning.
“There’s only 11 of us, so we all know each other well,” Dougherty said about his fellow blimp pilots. “We’ve been working together for 20 years.”
This year’s race will celebrate both Akron’s Bicentennial and the 100th Anniversary of the iconic Goodyear blimp.
The Goodyear airship only flies about 1,000 to 1,500 feet above ground level, making it easy for pilots to see faces down below.
“When they wave, you can wave back,” Dougherty said. “The visibility in the gondola is really good.”
The race will kick off at 6:30 a.m. at 411 S. Seiberling St., the Goodyear Proving Grounds and Test Track, and will conclude at 200 Innovation Way, The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. A festival will be held at the finish line as racers come through.
The award ceremony for the 10k will be held at 8:30 a.m. and at 9 a.m. for the Half Marathon. The course will close at 10:10 a.m.
Dougherty hopes to finish his half marathon anywhere between an hour and 45 minutes and an hour and 35 minutes. His personal record is one hour and 38 minutes, but to cut off just three minutes, Dougherty will have to run each mile 15 seconds faster.
Racing isn’t a foreign concept to Dougherty, who runs a half marathon about three to five times a year. Beyond the half, he has competed in 5Ks, 10Ks, full marathons and even mountain biking races. His favorites are the 5K or 10K.
“It’s fun to have a company that is really involved in the community like this,” Dougherty said.
In the future, he and his wife intend to run Disney’s Dopey Challenge, which is a four-day event with four consecutive race days, including a 5K, 10K, half marathon and full marathon.
But, Dougherty isn’t unfamiliar with training.
As part of his role as chief pilot, Dougherty runs the airship operations team. He helps train pilots from all over navigate the challenge of the Goodyear blimp.
“It flies a lot like a boat,” he said. “And just like a boat on the water, you have to kind of stay ahead of it. Because once it starts to go in a direction you don’t want it to go, it takes you twice as long you get back.”
Airship pilots-in-training usually come from a background of planes or helicopters, but Dougherty explained the blimp requires a certain “feel” that takes a minute to understand.
Since the blimp is very susceptible to wind, there are constant currents up and down during a flight.
“You can kind of feel that literally in the seat of your pants,” Dougherty said. “Like in your chair, in the side, sticking the controls, and you can actually make a correction before the airship starts to move.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘You can wave back’: Blimp pilot gets birdseye and ground view of Goodyear Half Marathon
Reporting by Julia Pentasuglio, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
