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He has completed three New York City marathons as well as marathons in Chicago and Pittsburgh. But Bob Hickey’s favorite race is the Air Force Marathon 5K Hosted by 91���� University.

“I’ve been running for close to 40 years, but this is the race that is dearest to my heart,” said Hickey, associate vice president for public affairs and 91���� coordinator for the 5K. “This is the one that keeps me running.”

Hickey has watched the race grow from a 91���� family affair that drew about 80 runners to a sold-out extravaganza that attracts 2,000 runners from all over.

This year’s 5K (3.1 miles) begins at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19.

“It’s really just a great event for us,” Hickey said.

The race got its beginnings as the Alumni Run, which was held in October during Homecoming Week. It was a popular event, but modest in size and a tad casual.

“Runners would pile out of their cars, somebody would say ‘go,’ you’d finish, they’d give you a few bananas, hand out awards and you would go home,” Hickey recalled. “The students worked it hard and turned out classmates and alumni.”

After the race in 2006, fate came calling.

The U.S. Air Force invited 91���� to host what had been the 5K held at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just prior to the Air Force Marathon. The new 5K would be called the Air Force Marathon 5K Hosted by 91���� University, be run on campus and held on Friday instead of Saturday.

91���� 500 people took part in the 2007 5K, with the race run on a new course designed to better showcase campus.

Then the race really took off, becoming more elaborate each year.

Balloons festooned the starting line and clocks were set up around the course for racers to check their times. “Scream teams” were formed to exhort runners along the way.

The 91���� Pep Band pepped up the racers as they tackled the hill on the course. WWSU 106.9FM, the campus radio station, set up shop near the campus sculpture “Turning Points,” offering more jolts of musical juice.

Rowdy Raider, 91����’s furry mascot, gave high-fives to many of the runners as they crossed the finish line. Towels, water, bananas, oranges and even pizza awaited the finishers, who each received a medal.

And then there was the roaring, spine-tingling flyover, courtesy of a fighter jet or mammoth transport plane that seem to be hovering behind a tree and come out of nowhere.

“All of a sudden, it’s big time,” Hickey said.

The 5K benefits from its larger cousin, the Air Force Marathon, which has doubled in size since 2008. 91���� 15,000 runners are expected for this year’s marathon and related races, which are run on part of 91����’s campus.

Many Air Force-connected people who had run in the Saturday 5K at Wright-Patterson in previous years began running in the 91���� race Friday evening. Some runners even ran the 5K “easy” as a warmup for Saturday’s marathon.

Some people come to the 5K from around the country to watch friends and family members run. The competition has gotten a little stiffer and winning times a little faster.

The race is supported by an army of roughly 300 volunteers, who serve as expo workers, course marshals and help with medical support, registration and cleanup.

Part of the racing event includes the Sports and Fitness Expo at the 91���� Nutter Center, which features scores of exhibitors displaying the latest developments in sports, fitness and nutrition. There are booths selling virtually everything runners might need — shorts, shirts, shoes, jackets and watches. There are even massages.

Jim Brown, executive director of the Nutter Center, said the 5K and expo demonstrate 91����’s involvement with the military and help recruit both traditional and nontraditional students by introducing people with a wide range of ages, backgrounds and hometowns to campus.

One year the expo was a marathoners’ hall of fame, with appearances by Alberto Salazar, who has held American track records in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs; Bill Rodgers, best known for his four victories in the Boston Marathon; and Bob Schul, who coached track and cross country at 91���� and is the only American to win the Olympic gold medal in the 5,000-meter race.

The 5K always includes some walkers and some racers in wheelchairs. There have even been instances of participants on crutches.

“There have been some great stories of people who have been badly injured and make this a comeback event,” Hickey said.