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Peachtree 50

The Peachtree Road Race, put on by the Atlanta Track Club (ATC) with primary sponsorship from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), had it's 50th running on July 4, 2019. It is the largest road race in the country, with more than 60,000 runners. The distance is 10K (6.2 miles) from Lenox Square to Piedmont Park in Atlanta. 

To get into the race you have to be an ATC member or enter a lotto. I got in through the lotto. There are rumors that everyone from out of town (or at least out of state) that enters gets in. They also have a seeding system for the starting waves that is based on times for a qualifying race. I haven't run any of the qualifying races, so I was seeded in the last wave. 

It's hot and humid in Atlanta, so starting in wave Y at 8:40 AM rather than closer to the wave A start at 7:00 AM is less than ideal. We did have cloud cover until my wave was about 2.5 miles into the race. The first 2.5 miles of the race are downhill and then the rest is mostly uphill. It is a hilly race, especially for a 10K road race, but it isn't quite as hilly as I had been led to believe. I managed to get a water around then too - with 60K runners it is really crowded.

I had started only about three rows off the line for wave Y. Many people (though not all) in the last wave are walkers, but there are some like me who just din't have a qualifying time/race. So we ran and caught the wave in front of us, and just kept passing people. This meant a lot of weaving around people, diving between people, and crashing into people who just stopped running in front of me.

Even getting to where the race turns from Peachtree on to 10th to go to the finish in front of Piedmont Park it didn't get more clear...in fact it got more crowded for a bit. As we approached the finish I thought more people would start running again or run hard into the finish, but I was wrong. Even though I was slower the second half than the first half (the course makes it almost impossible not to be) I passed more than 1,200 people between the 5K split and the finish. I finished with a time of 1:07:30 - not the sub-1:05 I would have liked or the sub 60 minutes that is ultimately my 10K goal,. but I was happy with it.

Right after I finished (or about that time) they took the race from yellow flag (caution) to red flag (extreme caution) because of the heat. I was glad I was done. I got some water, my coveted finisher's shirt, and walked for a bit then sat down for a minute before walking back to my Air B&B a few blocks away.


So that's the race...if you want to know more about the trip keep reading...

When I got to security at the Indianapolis airport to head to Atlanta they had a problem with my sport drink powder (in its original container) and flagged it as a potential explosive. I was searched, my shoes were scanned three times, my bag was emptied and everything scanned again, they swabbed lots of things, and looked in the container. Then decided it was ok.

When I got to ATL I got a MARTA (transit) card and started toward the expo. I didn't want to pay airport prices for food and didn't want airport food so I figured I would grab lunch later...near the expo or maybe at a transit station. No luck. I did eventually find some Subway and decided that would have to work. 

The expo is huge like a half marathon/marathon expo. Since I was hungry I didn't hang around long, but I did stop by Back on My Feet to say hi. Packet pickup is literally just your bib (and pins). I did buy an ATC tshirt from their garage sale though.


I was invited to a RRCA event near Centennial Park and tried to explore the park on the way, but it was closed ahead of the fireworks party for the 4th. I had to walk the long way to where I was going, but that was fine. 


I went to a bar and had a small beer while I was waiting. Then I met up with the group and went to the event...where we had BIG beers...but we also got some food. Then I made the track to where I was staying.


The Air B&B was marketed as a "minimalist retreat" and was at a great rate because it was still under construction. But that was cool. The flood lights on in the backyard all night and blinds that didn't cover the whole windows was not. I didn't sleep well either night.

So after the race I took and shower and went to find some food (harder than it seemed on the holiday)...then I walked around forever checking out neighborhoods and Piedmont Park. Then I recharged myself in the air conditioning and my phone before heading out to dinner and fireworks with the team.

In the morning I was so tired because I hadn't slept...so tired...but I went for my recovery run at 6:20 AM hoping it wouldn't be hot. It was already quite warm and super humid. Four slow and hilly miles later I was done. I showered, packed, and headed off to find breakfast. After I killed as much time as I could I headed to the airport. The flight home was (mostly) uneventful except for that one sudden drop.

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