On July 4th I ran the Peachtree Road Race. It was great to be back with my friends as we partied down Peachtree Street. This year, the race was held on July 4th and there was only one race. This year was extra special because the Atlanta Track Club has Adidas as the the new shoe sponsor. So how did the race go?
Training (Months before the race)
I served as a Wednesday midweek training run lead for the Decatur location from April-June. Initially, the weather was mild, but by the end of training it was hot as Hades. Despite it all, we survived training. It is always fun to train participants to help them to reach their goals.
The Expo (2 days before the race)
The expo was held in the Georgia World Congress Center. Since it was has been a while since everyone can attend an expo at once, packet pick up was a bit slow. We received our bib and aluminum Atlanta Track cup in a eco-friendly branded Atlanta Track Club paper bag.
It was kind of weird to see so many people in one place, but I saw so many friends that haven't seen in a while. I enjoyed catching up and visiting the vendors. Adidas had tons of items (shoes and appareal) for and it was fun introduction to them being the new show sponsor for the Atlanta Track Club.
Race Day (We made it!)
For race day I took the MARTA from the Chamblee station before 7 am. The trains were packed, even at that time of day. The amount of people were just like the pre-pandemic times. Prior to the race my friends and I met at our normal pre-race spot and caught up.
I was in Wave K and started at 7:45 am. I ran well for the 5k and was blessed by the Holy Water. I also hit all the sprinklers since it was warm and humid. Around the 5k mark, I had an overwhelming feeling of being hot. As a result I slow down and just focused on enjoying the race. Right before I turned onto 10th street in the 5th mile a wonderful spectator gave me some ice. I finished the race in 1 hour and 18 minutes.
The post race party was fun. We received our tee-shirt, peaches, and cold beverages. I also attended the Atlanta Track Club member party and picked up snacks. Afterwards, I headed to the MARTA station up the dreaded 8th Street up hill trek. Overall it was great to be back at the Peachtree. All the friends, sprinklers, and spectators made it all worth it.
