noun

• (athletics) In javelin, long jump, and similar events: a short track along which athletes can accelerate themselves for their jumps or throws.
  "Proper footwear is a must for javelin throwing. To some degree the surface of the runway will dictate the type of shoe."
• (aviation) A section of land, usually paved, for airplanes to land on or take off from.
  "Down at the end of the field when ready for the take-off, I'd taxi the ship off the runway and tell him why I did that—"so as not to block incoming ships," and I'd tell him at the same time why the incoming ship was supposed to land in the first third of the field and why in the take-off we were going all the way to the end of the runway and not try to take off up the middle of the runway."
• (finance, informal) Hence, the number of months that a startup company can operate by using up its cash reserves.
  "So, if you have $1.8M in the bank and monthly burn rate of $150,000, you have a runway of 12 months."