Archive for June, 2012

I have this friend who runs one race a year – the AJC Peachtree Road Race – and maybe a second one in the neighborhood. That doesn’t keep him from complaining about one certain aspect of the AJC Peachtree that causes me to refute him every time. It’s about the world famous t-shirts (see the finalists here and more here).

He wants the race to start giving out performance/moisture-wicking shirts after the race. I say no – keep them cotton. And I compliment the Atlanta Track Club for doing just that.

A cotton shirt can be worn, shown off really, around town without feeling weird in public. It can be worn to places other than a gym. It won’t quickly become just another one of those workout shirts. It remains a shirt to be worn to so many different places, not just on July 4.

Almost every other race in the city now gives out performance shirts. They pile up in a drawer, ready to be worn for a run, but no time else. After a while (running more than one race a year), you …

Continue reading Keep the AJC Peachtree shirt cotton. Thanks. »

“Distance runners take care of their own. I knew if I was on that track, anybody would do the same for me.”The quote came from a story about the last-place finishers of the Ohio high school 3,200-meter state championship. The next-to-last place runner fell on the final lap. Meghan Vogel, who had earlier won the state 1,600-meter championship, was struggling in her second championship race. In last, she saw Arden McMath collapse ahead of her. Vogel stopped, picked McMath up and carried her across the line.It was a great story that deservedly made the national news. I thought about the quote above from Vogel, and it seems true to me. When you’re out on the road, your fellow runners — going through the same highs and lows; successes and pain — are also looking out for you. Just look around as you climb Cardiac Hill then cross the finish line. The support will be there.The AJC covered new safety features of this year’s AJC Peachtree Road Race earlier this month, but the …

Continue reading ‘Distance runners take care of their own’ »

Continue reading Atlanta’s PATHs: Southtowne Trail »

The AJC Peachtree Road Race is approaching, and you need nice places to train. There’s no better place to start than with Atlanta’s PATHs, a trail system that travels throughout metro Atlanta. Over the next few weeks leading up to July 4, we take a look at the miles of paved paths that form the PATH trail system and tell you what you need to know about using them to get ready. For more information on the PATH Foundation and to check out all the PATH trails in metro Atlanta, visit pathfoundation.org.

Location: Silver Comet Trail, from New Macland Road to Hiram (MAP)

Parking: Parking lots on various access points throughout the trail, including one at Florence Road (with horse trailer parking, restrooms and a water fountain); New Macland; South Cobb Drive; and Floyd Road

About the PATH: The trail begins at the intersection of South Cobb Drive and the East-West Connector in Smyrna, Georgia and runs all the way to the Alabama border. There it meets the Chief …

Continue reading Atlanta’s PATHs: Silver Comet Trail »

The AJC Peachtree Road Race will host the U.S. men’s and women’s 10k championships in 2013 and 2014. It will mark the first time the Peachtree has hosted the women’s event. It has hosted the men’s event in four of the past six years.

The professional portion of next year’s women’s race will start at 7:17 a.m. while the men’s field will start at 7:30 a.m.

The championships are part of the USA Running Circuit (USARC), a USA Track & Field road series. The addition of the championship will increase the Peachtree’s total prize purses by $30,000 for each gender.

– Doug Roberson

Continue reading Peachtree will host 10k for men and women in 2013 and ‘14 »

If you’re one of the many to hop on the Pinterest Express of late, we want to hear from you. We’re looking for your best AJC Peachtree Road Race pictures — or you training or running any race, for that matter. Want to show off your sweaty but triumphant finish at last year’s Peachtree? Have an awesome pic of you in your good luck sweatband? Show the Pinterest community your best shots.

Message us first on the AJC Peachtree Road Race Facebook page to let us know who you are, and then pin ‘em if you got ‘em on the AJC Peachtree: U Pinned It! board for your chance to be famous on Pinterest. Which is clearly the best kind of famous to be.

Continue reading Hey pinners! »

A few AJC Peachtree Road Race numbers are available to be purchased for $150 through the event’s official charity partners, Operation Homefront Georgia Inc. and Kilometer Kids.

For more information, go to peachtreeroadrace.org/event-information/charity-partners.

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Continue reading A few numbers remain for AJC Peachtree Road Race »

I’m working on a story about the newest safety measure (colored flags to let runners know conditions) that will be used at the AJC Peachtree Road Race this year.

I’m sure many of you have run in races all over the country and hoped you would share with me other safety measures you’ve either seen or read about that you appreciated.

Please email your comments to me at droberson@ajc.com.

Thanks, and have a great day.

Doug

Continue reading Peachtree and safety tips »

The AJC Peachtree Road Race is approaching, and you need nice places to train. There’s no better place to start than with Atlanta’s PATHs, a trail system that travels throughout metro Atlanta.  Over the next few weeks leading up to July 4, we take a look at the miles of paved paths that form the PATH trail system and tell you what you need to know about using them to get ready. For more information on the PATH Foundation and to check out all the PATH trails in metro Atlanta, visit pathfoundation.org.

Location: Freedom Parkway through Candler Park (MAP)

Parking: Parking lots on various access points throughout the trail, including one at Martin Luther King, Jr. Center off of Jackson Parkway; Carter Center off of Freedom Parkway; City of Decatur parking lot off of Sycamore Street between Mile 7 and Mile 8; and Stone Mountain Park.

There is also often parking on side streets close to the trail — I found parking for this chunk of the path on John Wesley …

Continue reading Atlanta’s PATHs: Stone Mountain Trail »

I woke up this morning to find out it’s National Running Day (who knew, but I guess there is a day for everything). So to everyone out there reading this, I wish you a happy National Running Day.

I wasn’t planning on doing much in terms of running today — I ran pretty hard Sunday and Monday — but since it’s a running holiday, I must. It’s looking like an easy three miles around the neighborhood to celebrate, but that could change between now and then. Any plans for you out there? There is a pretty big group getting together to run in Peachtree City to celebrate. Other ideas: Call up some friends to go for a run, find a group, take your dog along with you or just go alone. Hopefully, the holiday convinces you to get out.

Also, it’s exactly four weeks until the AJC Peachtree Road Race, a good time to check in on yourself and see how your training is going. Or if it’s not going at all, you still have some time to get some runs in, start getting into shape and acclimate yourself …

Continue reading Happy National Running Day »