Making sure all the runners knew exactly where they were was lighting specialist Airstar, which provided its distinctive lighting balloons at each kilometre mark and the finish line. Airstar deployed two of its Crystal lighting balloons at each stage. Sporting a yellow cover with the appropriate kilometre number printed on it, the 1.6m diameter balloons were each mounted on a five metre high stand, ensuring maximum visibility for the runners.
Projector-type lights beamed on to unlit surfaces are never an ideal solution, while other sources like LEDs would be unnecessarily complex and expensive. The Crystal balloon was chosen because of its straightforward deployment and it was the ideal model for the wet and windy weather conditions. It also has an inbuilt pressure sensor safety mechanism.
Airstar got involved when Nike passed the company's details to the event's organizer Limelight Projects. Airstar's Russell Hager worked closely with Limelight, with extensive pre-planning ensuring that the job went extremely smoothly. "Working with Airstar was easy, they were very efficient," says Limelight's Anna Wadowski.
Nike's Carolyn Small adds: "The Airstar markers were very distinctive for the runners. plus they looked great. Because of the speed with which they could be set up, they dovetailed perfectly with the logistics of setting up a running course in a busy city."
(Lee Baldock)
