This year was another scorching Peachtree Road Race. It is one of my favorite Atlanta Club Race because of the awesome crowd support, sprinklers, and the large after-party. This year we were warned about the heat the day before the race so that we could prepare accordingly. My initial goal was run a sub 60, but after receiving the heat advisory warning, I decided to just treat it like a Chicago Marathon training run and hit all the sprinklers instead. Last year was the hottest race I have ever run, but this year was slightly different. Here's why--
The Expo
The Peachtree expo is the best race expo in Atlanta. There are tons of vendors selling running gear and others giving out samples of snacks. Mizuno and the Atlanta Track Club have a partnership and Mizuno had a huge section with displays and Peachtree-branded merchandise for sell. The Atlanta Track Club also had specials on membership and clearanced gear. I volunteered with the Atlanta Track Club Ambassador Team to get people signed up for memberships.
Atlanta Track Club has the best volunteer wag. I love the shirt (more than the race shirt) and the pin we received as gifts.
Race Day
Race day for the Peachtree is always chaotic. My running buddies and I arrived at the MARTA at 6 am for the train. When the train arrived 15 minutes later it was already packed. Thankfully we are all able to get on board. When we arrived at Lenox, I was able to see just how many people were on the way to the race.
This year I was in corral J, which was perfect. I ran for Team Beef with my run buddies from Lenox Mall to Piedmont Park via the sprinklers, holy water, and with the support of thousands of spectators. While I didn't PR, I had fun and got my shirt. Another Peachtree is in the bag.
