After 2 years, though it seems shorter than that, I ran the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th. This year's race was split into races on July 3 and 4 to reduce the crowd size. To keep tradition alive, I opted to run on July 4th. The race this year was not only blessed with smaller crowds, but also had amazing weather for a July day. The Atlanta Track Club did a great job in putting on the race despite all the current public health issues. Let's discuss the race differences compared to previous years.
Expo
The expo was held at the Georgia World Congress Center, its usual location. This year we had to register for a time and date to attend the expo. I signed up to attend the expo on June 27 at 1 pm. Once arriving at the expo if we showed proof of the Covid-19 vaccine we were able to pick up our bibs that holograms on them signifying that had been vaccinated. Those who were not vaccinated went to another area and I am not sure what happened to them.
The expo had fewer vendors that in the past, which was good for my wallet. Mizuno, the official appareal sponsor of Atlanta Track Club, had a large booth with clothes. I only purchased a Running City USA neck gaiter. Thankfully Garmin was at the expo and they gifted me spare bands for my watch. There were plenty of photo opportunities and I saw many friends that I haven't seen since last year.
Race Day
I was assigned to corral H for the July 4th race. We had a 7:40 am take off. The corral was not packed which made it easier to run to Piedmont Park that in the past. The weather was amazing, but I still ran though all the sprinklers. I also made sure I was redeemed by the Holy Water sprinklers. I used a training runs for the race and I had a hard time staying on pace because I was faster than I was suppose to be. I finished the race in 1:12:23.
I earned the race shirt and a Garmin Peachtree Road Race badge. At the park we quickly picked our shirts and hydration. The race festivities ended with dreaded walk back to the Midtown Marta Station.
Overall I loved this year's race. If I had it my way I would leave the two day race to reduce the number of runners. I had a fun time and I can't wait to run again next year.
