Run includes rare trip through Bankhead Tunnel on foot

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Runners from around the region take a unique trip around downtown Mobile to raise money to help the visually impaired. Chad Petri reports on the rare chance to run through the Bankhead Tunnel.

It’s not unusual to have a run start on Canal Street in Mobile with a cannon blast. It is unusual to have a round trip in both directions on foot through the Bankhead tunnel.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, right? It’s not Everybody gets to do that. You get to do it twice and not get the police called on you. So, yeah, it’s a lot of fun. I like to do these original things, like go over the bridge or go through the tunnel, run at night,” said runner Jeffry Moore.

The tunnel trip is the highlight of the Lions Club of Mobile Double Vision Tunnel Run, an annual race with an unusual way to get from one side of the Mobile River and back.

“Something I wanted to do years ago. Put it on my bucket list. My daughter and I did it together when she was running cross-country in high school, and I’ve just continued to do it,” said runner Chip Mayhall.

The event raises money for the Lions Club Mobile chapter as they raise money to help the blind and visually impaired.

“And it’s important because we need as much money as we can because we try to help the visually impaired. We use this money to help offset the cost of vision care, whether it be eyeglasses, eye surgeries, screenings, and whatnot,” said President of the Mobile Lions Club Beau Fleming.

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