The Peachtree Road Race is held every Fourth of July, making it a huge part of Atlanta’s Independence Day festivities.
The Peachtree Road Race is held every Fourth of July, making it a huge part of Atlanta’s Independence Day festivities.
On July 4, 1970, a cross-country coach from Georgia State University named Tim Singleton assembled a group of 150 runners at an old Sears parking lot off Peachtree Road to do a race through the heart of Atlanta. The runners each put two dollars in a cigar box (to create a winner’s purse) and took off. One hundred and ten finished in Central City Park. On July 4, 2016, some sixty thousand runners and walkers gathered around the starting line in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood to participate in what has grown to become America’s largest running event—the Peachtree Road Race.
“I had always been fairly athletic, but I became a consistent runner once I moved to Atlanta,” Amanda Kowaleski began. “I lived near Piedmont Park, so it was very easy. I first learned about the Peachtree when I was working for a television station in town, and I ended up field-producing the event. The Peachtree turned out to be the first organized race I ever ran. It was surreal, going from being a casual runner to running in the world’s biggest 10K, especially as I had seen it from the other side. There was such excitement, as you have fifty-five thousand (at the time) people streaming in on MARTA [Atlanta’s public transit system], all with their race numbers on, and the huge American flag hanging above the starting line. I travel on the roads the course takes all the time, but when the roads are shut down, you see Atlanta from a completely different perspective. It felt as though I’d never experienced the city until then.”
The Peachtree Road Race course highlights the city that’s come to be known as the shining capital of the New South, reflecting Atlanta’s ever-climbing skyline as well as its ascendancy as a business and cultural powerhouse. Amanda described the route. “The race starts in Buckhead, one of the busiest neighborhoods in Atlanta. There are two big malls and many high-rises right by the start line. It has a big-city feeling, and it’s an exciting place to begin. The first two miles are mostly downhill. There’s a temptation for newbies to go hard on this section, but we try to discourage that approach, as you’ll pay for it later. On this section, you’ll pass the Cathedral of St. Philip. A special moment comes when Dean Samuel G. Candler blesses passing runners by sprinkling holy water.” The invocation in 2016 went as follows:
Blessings, blessings, blessings! From all over America, from all over the world, we gather this day for the blessings of running and rejoicing.
Most of us are runners, but some of us are not. Some of us are believers in God, but some of us are not. We are wheelchairs, we are walkers, we are runners, we are elite, we are not-so-elite, we are ordinary, and we are extraordinary.
But, today, we are One. We are One today, believers in the Peachtree Road Race and its ability to gather all sorts and conditions of humanity in blessing America on this Fourth of July.
Blessings to Muslims: Assalamu alaikum!
Blessings to Jews. Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu!
Blessings to Christians: Christ blesses you! Benedicite Deus!
To Hindus, to Buddhists, to atheists, to agnostics!
God blesses each and every one of us. Dios les bendiga!
May this Peachtree Road Race be safe and fun; may it be challenging and relaxing. May today be a holiday, a holy day, of blessing and grace, of vigor and energy!
“Once you’re into mile three, you reach Cardiac Hill, which is the most famous stretch of the course,” Amanda continued. “You climb twelve stories in less than a mile, and you feel it. Near the top of Cardiac Hill is the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation clinic for patients with brain and spinal cord injuries. Some patients are out in their wheelchairs cheering participants on, which is incredibly inspiring. Some Shepherd patients also participate in our wheelchair division, which is doubly inspiring. After Cardiac Hill there are other climbs, but nothing as intense. Eventually you turn from Peachtree Road to Tenth Street. Some people think this is the end, but there’s more to go. By the time you reach Tenth and Charles Allen near Piedmont Park, the race is done and you can get your race T-shirt. At most races you get your shirt when you pick up your entry materials, but not at the Peachtree. You have to finish. We hold a design contest each year for the T-shirt graphic. The public votes through the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but the winner is not revealed until race day.” Refreshments and music await finishers in the park.
The success of the Peachtree owes a good deal to the ongoing support provided by Atlanta Track Club, an organization that was also cofounded by Tim Singleton. Thanks in large part to the club’s leadership, Atlanta boasts one of America’s largest organized running communities, with twenty-seven thousand members. The club supports high school track and field and cross-country programs around the Atlanta metropolitan area and oversees an elite team, led by Olympian Amy Begley. But the club also strives to be a resource for runners and walkers of all levels. To help less experienced runners prepare for the Peachtree, the club offers a twelve-week training program in the months leading up to the event. “We have volunteer coaches at multiple sites around the city,” Amanda explained. “We call them run leads. They’re present to help folks at a variety of levels, whether they are training to hit a personal record or trying to run or walk their first road race. Whatever ability level someone is at, we help them to feel confident and prepared on race day.”
AMANDA KOWALESKI is the public relations and marketing communications manager at Atlanta Track Club. She has completed races ranging from 5Ks to marathons, including running the New York City Marathon for Team ASPCA to raise money for abused and neglected animals. Before coming to Atlanta Track Club, Amanda worked as a television news producer for more than a decade and for a public relations firm. She’s a graduate of James Madison University.
If You Go
Getting There: Atlanta is served by most major carriers.
Best Time to Visit: The Peachtree Road Race is held each July 4; Atlanta Track Club holds a number of other events throughout the year.
Race Information: Details about the Peachtree, including registration information, can be found at the Atlanta Track Club website (atlantatrackclub.org).
Accommodations: The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (800-ATLANTA; atlanta.net) highlights a host of lodging options.