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Peachtree Road Race {Family Traditions}

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My family, like most families, has family traditions. Actually, we joke that my dad is really attached to our family traditions and doesn’t like when we change them (this is why we vacation at the same two locations every year– Georgia and Ocean City New Jersey). One of these traditions is the Peachtree road race on the 4th of July in Atlanta, GA. If you are a runner, you may have heard of it, if not let me fill you in.

It is a race on the 4th of July every year in Atlanta Georgia. 65,000 people gather in Atlanta for this race every year. It is a big to-do. You have to sign up with in a specific window months ahead of time, and there is a lottery system for getting a ticket, not everyone who signs up gets a ticket (there are that many people who want to run the race). Then there are designers that submit t-shirt designs each year for the race shirt and runners vote on the shirts ahead of time and the one with the most votes wins. No one knows what the shirt looks like until the end (although if you are a later finisher then you will probably see a shirt before you finish), and the shirt is like a badge of honor.

If you are familiar with Atlanta it starts at the Lenox Mall and ends at Piedmont Park. Each runner gets a number and the number is arranged by letter. If you submit a time you can get a better number/letter combination, if you don’t it is all random. You start with your letter group (you can start back but not up) and it is pretty strict (security guards check your number and ensure only the correct letters are getting into each group). The high letters end up starting over an hour after the first runners. So when you cross the start line, many runners have already finished. As you run (or walk– there are always lots of walkers because you don’t really have to be a runner at all to do this race, it is for the masses) people line the whole race path. Bars give out Beer (I usually skip this), people pass out water (not just the official race people), popsicle and all sorts of other stuff. Cheering for the runners is just as much of an event as running in the race (this is sort of a non-elite version of the Boston Marathon in those regards). If you want to run with someone you best make an agreement ahead of time about whether or not you will stay together or separate, and you MUST pick a meeting location (remember there are 65,000 runners and 1,000s of spectators).

When you cross the finish you are funneled to the water station and then to get your shirt. They mark of your number when you receive your shirt so that no one comes back to steal a second (like I said the shirts are a badge of honor). Publix always shows up with lots of tents and free food, so you can gorge yourself on packaged cookies, pretzels and bagels and then regret it later. There are hundreds of porta-potties (which I would advise against visiting) and huge balloons with letters under them so you can meet up with your family. You are now tired and very sweaty (This is ‘Hot-lanta’ people!) and all you want is a cold shower and your couch. But the day is not even nearly over because now you have to walk over a mile to the Marta station to get on a train with hundreds of other people where you will stand right next to someone who is probably sweatier than you (unless you are my dad, and then that isn’t possible) and cringe every time the train stops and their sweaty arm brushes up against yours.

But at least you have your t-shirt to wear later that day at your family picnic.

It is all worth it though. Did I mention you have to get up around 5:30 am to make it to the race in time?

Curious if I ran or walked? I did both. I ran/walked in intervals with my sisters and husband. I really haven’t been running, so I didn’t even plan on running the whole thing. I felt really good though, so it got me excited about running again.

So what is one of your 4th of July family Traditions.


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