It appears the race, organized by Rapid Running, may have been cancelled.

Doug Roberson, AJC and AJC.com

Kimani, a native of Kenya, died of pneumonia on Nov. 1, according to www.kimbia.net.

No one has come close to breaking Kimani’s record, which destroyed the previous record by 52 seconds. It remained the world’s fastest 10k time for six years.

Sammy Kitwara came closest to breaking his mark at the Peachtree, running the 10k course in 27:22 in 2009.

Kimani was buried in Eldoret, Kenya.

– Doug Roberson, AJC.

One of the most integral elements of the AJC Peachtree Road Race spent Wednesday morning in a meeting in Indianapolis.

The Very Rev. Sam Candler, whose holy water blessings have cooled and delighted Peachtree runners since 1999, was not at his traditional post in front of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip in Buckhead because he was at his denomination’s national general convention.

It took four priests – Wallace Marsh, George Maxwell, Thee Smith and Carolynne Williams – to replace him.

When they realized the conflict, “we knew we were going to sub for him,” Marsh said. “We knew how much he wanted to be out here because everyone loves it.”

Candler began blessing runners in 1999, when the race happened to fall on a Sunday. Rather than object to the disruption, Candler chose to bring service out to the church’s lawn and began his tradition of tossing holy water and offering blessings upon runners, many of whom veer to the church’s side of Peachtree Road to receive them. He wanted so badly to participate this year, he even looked into flying in from Indianapolis for the race and then flying back, said Judy Johnson, Candler’s executive assistant.

His advice to his backups?

“He said, ‘Bless everyone, smile and have a good time,” Marsh said.

Thorn continues streak

With his granddaughter by his side, Tyrone’s Bill Thorn ran and walked his way down to Piedmont Park to finish his 43rd Peachtree and maintain his status as the only person to finish each Peachtree. Thorn, 81, later was asked to share a few words with finishers in the park from the concert stage.

Thorn, the track and cross country coach at Landmark Christian School in Fairburn, shared his wisdom that the key to longevity is consistency. Thorn still exercises seven days a week. Running with granddaughter Kenzie Thrasher, Thorn finished in about 79 minutes.

“That’s nowhere near what I used to do, but I’ve kind of got to settle for that now,” Thorn said.

He said there were fewer heat-related illnesses this year than in past year’s and no serious cardiac-related issues. Two runners were transported to local hospitals, one for a cardiac irregularity and one for a chest pain, neither of which Wilson said were felt to be serious.

Runners said the humidity, not the heat, was the biggest challenge. But most agree that conditions weren’t as bad as they could have been.

Start-time temperature at 7:30 a.m.  for the men’s race at Lenox Mall was 71 degrees with 85-percent humidity, similar to last year’s 73-degree start. The temperature climbed to 75 degrees with 80-percent humidity at the finish line at Piedmont Park at 9 a.m.

“It wasn’t bad, the  temperature was good,” said Johnny Buice, 58, a member of the Douglas County Fire Department who ran the race in his outfit. “I don’t know what the humidity is, it feels less … but coming off what we’ve had, those 106s, this is great.”

Atlanta Track Club organizers alerted runners earlier this week to the possibility of high temperatures at the start of the race. Some racers worried that last night’s rain would lead to high humidity during the race. But many said it felt warmer at the start than at the finish.

“There were some breezes, but it really wasn’t bad, especially considering how it it has been,” Atlanta’s Melinda McGuire said. She was competing in her sixth Peachtree.

To assist the runners, the ATC instituted a color-coded flag system this year to symbolize the changing conditions on the course. The colors of the flags, which were placed throughout the route, ranged from green (conditions are good) to black (extreme and dangerous conditions; the race has stopped). Race director Tracey Russell said on Monday that the race would start under yellow (exercise caution). A red flag, third in the ladder, symbolizes potentially dangerous conditions. Conditions went from yellow to red at 9:20 a.m.

Participants said the flag system was helpful.

“I would have liked to have seen an American flag, but the flag system was helpful,” said Andrew Stanforth, who ran the race dressed as “Uncle Sam.” He was competing in either his 236th Peachtree, or his ninth, depending upon if Sam or Andrew answered.

Peter Kirui, the  men’s winner, said conditions were good at the start of the race, but started to warm up 20 minutes in.

“There were some breezes, but it really wasn’t bad, especially considering how it it has been,” Atlanta’s Melinda McGuire said. She was competing in her sixth Peachtree.

Peter Kirui led a Kenyan sweep of the top three in the  men’s race with a winning time of 27 minutes, 37 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in race history. Micah Kogo finished second (27:39) and Mathew Kisorio finished third (27:39). It was Kirui’s first Peachtree victory.

Ethiopia’s Mamitu Daska won the women’s division, completing the 6.2-mile course in 32:22. It was also her first victory in the race. Kenya’s Lineth Chepkurui finished second (32:23) and yet another Kenyan, Risper Gesabwa, who trains in Marietta, finished third (32:23).

“The race was good,” Kirui, 24, said. “I’m happy to be the winner.”

Eight Kenyans finished in the top 10 of the men’s race, and three of the top 10 spots in the women’s race.

The Kenyan’s dominance, like the warm weather, wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was that neither the temperature nor the humidity passed 85 by the time the last runners crossed the finish line. The combination of milder temperatures and cautious runners contributed to no serious medical incidents during the race, according to Dr. Joe Wilson, the event’s medical director. He said there were fewer heat-related illnesses this year than in past year’s and no serious cardiac-related issues.

The winning T-shirt design.

Start-time temperature at 7:30 a.m.  for the men’s race was 71 degrees with 85-percent humidity, similar to last year’s 73-degree start, without the shirt-soaking humidity. The temperature reached 84 degrees with 58-percent humidity at the finish line at 11:45 a.m. in Piedmont Park as crews began breaking down the race’s different structures.

It was, one racer said, pleasant, especially considering the 100-degree temperatures that melted Atlanta last weekend.

“It wasn’t bad, the  temperature was good,” said Johnny Buice, 58, a member of the Douglas County Fire Department who ran the race in his outfit. “I don’t know what the humidity is, it feels less … but coming off what we’ve had, those 106s, this is great.”

Atlanta Track Club organizers alerted runners earlier this week to the possibility of high temperatures at the start of the race. Some racers worried that last night’s rain would lead to high humidity Wednesday morning. But many said it felt warmer at the start than at the finish.

“There were some breezes, but it really wasn’t bad, especially considering how it it has been,” Atlanta’s Melinda McGuire said. She was competing in her sixth Peachtree.

To assist the runners, the Atlanta Track Club instituted a color-coded flag system this year to symbolize the changing conditions on the course. The colors of the flags, which were placed throughout the route, ranged from green (conditions are good) to black (extreme and dangerous conditions; the race has stopped). Race director Tracey Russell said on Monday that the race would start under yellow (exercise caution). It changed to red, symbolizing extreme caution, at 9:20 a.m.

Participants said the flag system was helpful.

“I would have liked to have seen an American flag, but the flag system was helpful,” said Andrew Stanforth, who ran the race dressed as “Uncle Sam.” He was competing in either his 236th Peachtree, or his ninth, depending upon if Sam or Andrew answered.

Kirui, the third seed, said conditions were good at the start of the race, but started to warm up 20 minutes in. He said he doesn’t run well in the heat, so he was happy.

Kirui said he learned from a mistake he made in 2010, when he got out in front too fast. The pack eventually caught him by the end. This time, he stayed in the pack until the final 400 meters and won the sprint to the finish line. Kenya’s Sammy Kitwara, the defending champ, finished eighth.

The top finishers in the women’s race seemed to follow the same strategy until Daska outsprinted the other two in the final 200 meters.

“It was too hot to push too soon, but I knew coming to the end I was going to beat them to the finish line,” Daska, 28 and the top seed, said.

This was the first time in the race’s history that the women started before the men’s Open division.

Werknesh Kidane was the defending champ (31:23). She didn’t return to defend her title.

Aaron Gordian won the men’s wheelchair division race and Tatyana McFadden won the women’s division for the third consecutive year.

Gordian, the second seed and a native of Mexico, completed the route, which started at Lenox Mall and ended at Piedmont Park in an unofficial time of 19 minutes, 52 seconds. Gordian, 46, became the oldest wheelchair champ. He also won the race in 2005. Gordian opened a 50-meter lead midway through the race and held off the pack. Krige Schabort was the defending champ (19:47). The course record was 18:36.

“I knew I needed to push more when it’s uphill,” Gordian said. “I said [to myself] ‘This is the moment.’ It’s good for me because I always feel comfortable going uphill.”

McFadden, who recently qualified for five events in the Paralympic Games in London this summer, won in 24:54.

“This course is tough, it’s always tough,” McFadden said. “I had to play to my strengths. My strengths aren’t doing downhill, but they are in climbing. As soon as I knew that first climb was coming I had to hit it hard.”

Jae Yung Hyung won the men’s Masters division (31:21). Sheri Piers won the  women’s Masters division (34:38).

“It was a little warm, but it was great,” said Valdosta’s Mark Buescher, who was running the race with his son Carter. “I thought it would be a little hotter. There was a lot of water on the route. It was great.”

Those in the later waves said the conditions weren’t as enjoyable as for those ahead of them, but the race was still fun.

“This breeze helped out, all the cheering on the side, it was perfect,” Acworth’s Vic Rice said.

Thorn, the track and cross country coach at Landmark Christian School in Fairburn, said Tuesday morning that he’ll extend his AJC Peachtree Road Race streak to 43, keeping alive his status as the only person to run every Peachtree.

Thorn, 81, acknowledged that his streak may not stretch too far longer.

“It’s kind of getting down to the end, isn’t it?” Thorn said. “I don’t know how long, but just take it one year at a time. I know it’ll end one day.”

Thorn continues to maintain his daily exercise regimen, including running, stationary bike, walking and trampoline. He’ll run the Peachtree with his granddaughter Kenzie Thrasher.

It’s going to be hot. We knew that going in, and even as the temperature in the city cools from the record highs of last week, the heat will play a huge role in this year’s AJC Peachtree Road Race.

Here’s the first thing to know: The Atlanta Track Club said in an e-mail to runners this morning that the race will begin in Alert Code Yellow (more on the color codes here). That means a moderate alert, “less than ideal conditions for the start time on Wednesday morning.”

“We encourage our participants to take it easy and be prepared for conditions to possibly get worse. We ask our runners to pay attention to the Event Alert System along the course as conditions change.

“Please utilize the water stops that will be available along the course on both sides of the street as well as the cooling stations. Hydrate prior to the start of the event, and stay mindful of how you feel. Listen to your body and if you’re not feeling well, be sure to seek medical assistance which is available along the course.”

The race will be among one of the hottest ever. WSB-TV forecasts the temperature at 7 a.m. to be 73 and 8 a.m. to be 76. That would make it around the same temperature as last year – a temperature I thought was very hot, and it was the hottest start temp in six years.

So be sure to read our blog from yesterday and drink some water today (and hopefully you drank some water yesterday, too). Be careful and pay attention tomorrow – to your body and the road. There is a lot of construction around the start on Peachtree parts of the street will be fenced off.

Have a great run/jog/walk/stroll/roll. There will be a t-shirt waiting for you at the end.

It sounds delicious, but shoving a giant plate of pasta into your mouth the night before a race isn't such a great idea. / Photo by Getty Images

Where did the time go? It’s hard to believe that a few months ago, we were talking about registering for the AJC Peachtree Road Race lottery, and now the race is only two days away.

Which begs raises the question — what are you doing over the next couple of days to make sure you’re in prime racing condition? I’m not talking about training — if you haven’t been training, well, good luck to you. Maybe it’ll be a 4th of July miracle and you’ll actually cross the finish line intact.

No, I’m talking about the things you do in two or three days leading up to the race to ensure success in crossing the finish line.

There are various schools of thought on what to do before a race, but most people agree on things not to do, many of them regarding what you eat and drink. For instance, contrary to popular belief, it’s actually not a good idea to consume a truckload of pasta the night before a run. Instead, eat moderate amounts of carbohydrates in the days leading up to the run.

Also, don’t go crazy on the water the night before. Drink what you would normally drink to stay hydrated. The morning of the race, drink 16 oz. of water about three hours before the race, and then one or two cups right before the race starts.

The thing most everyone agrees on — don’t try to get all fancy and switch things up in the couple of days before the race. If you don’t normally drink coffee, don’t do it the morning of the race. If you normally eat a piece of chocolate cake the night before a run, well, maybe you should re-think your eating habits, but in the spirit of keeping things the same, eat a piece the night before.

As for running the day before the race — it all depends on what works for you. Some runners swear by it, but others say they feel refreshed for race day if they didn’t run the night before.

Want some more tips? Runner’s World has a great list of eight tips for a successful run. Or visit the AJC Peachtree Road Race page for more stories, inspiration and information.

What are your go-to meals for the night before a race? Any other pre-race day or race day tips for newbies or other runners?