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Las Vegas, NV—Running between appointments and events is all part of the experience at the Las Vegas jewelry shows, but jeweler Dan Kulchinsky of Mayfair Jewelers in Long Island, NY, really took it to heart this year, running miles farther than anyone else.

On Saturday, June 2, when most exhibitors and jewelers were already beginning to feel the effects of overindulgence and tradeshow exhaustion, Kulchinsky got up with the sun and ran a 5K race to benefit at-risk children in Clark County, NV. At left, he's pictured at the finish line.

But that wasn’t enough—when the race concluded, Kulchinsky ran more than half its length again!

The race was one of three being held June 2 at the new Terminal 3 of McCarran International Airport. The new terminal, nicknamed T3, will house international flights. The three races included a “fun run,” the 5K that Kulchinsky ran, and a 10K run. Participants ran along 8.2 linear miles of roadway that will be forever closed to foot traffic once the new terminal opens for business June 27.

Rosemary Vassiliadis, McCarran’s deputy director of aviation, said in an article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal that since 9/11, almost all airport construction nationwide has been done in areas inaccessible to the public, so the family-friendly, community-welcome race is a real departure from the norm. The race, apart from its philanthropic angle, was designed to help familiarize locals with the new terminal’s layout, and as such, the race route went past the parking garage, the ticketing and departure area, and the baggage claim and passenger pickup area.

Kulchinksy left the Wynn at 5:00 a.m. on race day, for a supposed 6:30 start to the race. The early hour was intended to keep runners in the (relatively) cool morning air, but as often happens, things were delayed and the race didn’t kick off till 7:45 a.m.. By then, the temperature was already hovering at 97 degrees—far hotter than Kulchinsky was used to. The company’s two stores are in Woodbury, NY, and East Hampton, NY, a breezy ocean resort town on the eastern tip of Long Island.

But heat or no, Kulchinsky, age 62, was on the first line of starters. “With races that have that many participants, you can get caught in the back of the pack, and it takes a lot of weaving in and out to get to your pace,” he says. According to the paper, officials were expecting 3,000 to register for the race.

Kulchinsky admits he started too fast—his first mile took six minutes, 15 seconds—but when he suddenly found himself running alongside a local running hero (named ”John T.”), he knew he was in good shape. So with his GPS showing mile markers, Kulchinsky raced along, but made certain to stop at all three water stations.

“I didn’t want to get dehydrated,” he told The Centurion. “Runners were dropping like flies.”

Las Vegas sits in a valley, and the city around the strip is fairly flat, but head out of town just a short distance and the hills begin almost immediately. The roads around the airport—the last mile of the race—were especially hilly, says Kulchinsky. He finished the race in 23 minutes, 59.1 seconds—23^rd place overall but first in his age group, which comprised runners from age 60-64. (He’s also competitive in the masters division, which starts at age 40.)

With the race finished, Kulchinsky planned to stay for the awards ceremony, but because the race had already begun 45 minutes late, and he had an appointment back at the Couture Show, he was pressed for time.

Kulchinsky took off running again, this time another two miles back to the department of aviation building, where his car and clean clothes were waiting. He changed quickly and got in the car—when a tire blowout delayed things further. But he made it in time for his first appointment!

Racing is a real passion for Kulchinsky. He races every weekend, no matter where he is. “Besides family and the jewelry business, this is what I live for!”