Peachtree Road Race: a picture perfect run
Jul 6, 2009
Weather conditions were spectacular — cool, with low humidity — for the 40th anniversary of the Peachtree Road Race, , the world's largest 10K race, on the Fourth of July.
By the time that 22-year-old Kenyan Sammy Kitwara crossed the finish line in Piedmont Park to win the race in a personal best time of 27:22, most of the 55,000 runners in the field hadn't started the race yet.
The race drew participants from 47 states, the District of Columbia and 15 countries. For many participants, the race is a family affair. One young woman wore a shirt proclaiming "daughter" next to her dad, with an identical shirt saying "father." Another man said he'd walked the way with his infant daughter in a backpack.
Many participants ran waving American flags, dressed up as Uncle Sam, or wearing red, white and blue ribbons in their hair. One trio of guys ran wearing Viking horns and pelts. Another fellow ran dressed in the "Where's Waldo" red-and-white striped socks and hat.
Thousands more cheered along the runners and walkers along the 6.2-mile route; some handed out water, snacks — even cold cans of beer. Merchants along the route took the opportunity to promote their businesses, handing out coupons or free T-shirts.
Participants and only participants earned a coveted 40th anniversary T-shirt. For the first time this year, all registered participants got an electronic tag to attach to their shoelaces that recorded their exact running times, rankings among all runners, as well as those in their sex and age groups. Runners can go to the Atlanta Track Club website to look up their time and print out a special commemorative certificate.
- by Diane Loupe, Atlanta Reporter for HelloMetro
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Diane LoupeA resident of Decatur, Ga., and a native of New Orleans, Diane has a M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri. She has worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Associated Press, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and Yale Medical School. A freelance writer and editor, her work has appeared in The Sunday Paper, Women's eNews, the Agnes Scott College alumni magazine, eSchool News, and PTO Today.
