Running News Daily

92-year-old Bill Thorn crosses Peachtree Road Race finish line to end 53-year streak

Bill Thorn is the only runner to have participated in Atlanta's Independence Day race every year since it began in 1970.

92-year-old runner marked the end of an incredible 53-year streak at the Peachtree Road Race on Tuesday, as the only person to have run in Atlanta’s famed Independence Day 10K every year since it began in 1970 crossed the finish line one last time.

Bill Thorn, who served as grand marshal of this year’s race, officially ended the streak Tuesday when he ceremonially broke the tape in a short walk to the finish line as crowds cheered him on.

Although Thorn now uses a walker to get around, he took his final steps toward the finish line of Tuesday’s race unaided, raising his hands triumphantly as he broke the tape.

The former high school track coach told Atlanta’s 11Alive the decision to stop running the race was “hard” but that he was “definitely at peace” with putting the streak to bed. “To be honest, I’m kind of relieved,” he said.

For Thorn, who was inducted into the Peachtree Road Race Hall of Fame in 1994, keeping the streak alive wasn’t always easy. One year, he ran the race with a sprained ankle. He also once finished the race during treatment for prostate cancer. But with his balance becoming more of an issue in recent years, Thorn said he agreed with his family that it was time to celebrate his record streak by officially bringing it to a close.

Thorn was one of 150 runners who ran the first Peachtree Road Race in 1970, and among the group of only 110 to finish that first race. He told 11Alive that the idea of a streak never occurred to him before it ballooned to the quarter-century mark. “I would just show up every year; no one said anything (about the streak) until the 25th year,” he said.

In 2019, to celebrate the 50th running of the race, Thorn crossed the finish line with four generations of his family and Julia Emmons, former executive of the Atlanta Track Club, which organizes the run. “It could’ve been just a fad,” Thorn said of his streak that year. “But as you go along through the years, people like Julia say to me every once in a while to ‘keep going’ and that was really encouraging, and so it just became a year-after-year thing.”

Since the pandemic, Thorn has completed the virtual edition of the Peachtree, running the distance around his neighbourhood.

Saying he still works out six days a week, Thorn told the Atlanta Track Club that “it’s been really exciting over the years, but there comes a time when you have to let go,” adding that “no one else will be able to say they did the first 50.”

(07/05/2023) Views: 476 ⚡AMP
by Paul Baswick

Ethiopian runner misses Peachtree Road Race victory due to last-minute detour

In an unexpected turn of events during the AJC Peachtree Road Race 10K on Independence Day, Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi, the reigning champion, was poised to claim victory and the USD $10,000 prize. However, a wrong turn in the final 200m foiled her plans, resulting in a third-place finish and causing her to miss out on a large sum of money.

Teferi was closely following a leading police motorcycle as it suddenly veered off the course with 200m to go. Without hesitation, Teferi followed suit, mistakenly believing that the race course took an unconventional right turn.

Despite having a nearly 10-second lead over her compatriot, Fotyen Tesfay, Teferi’s confusion led to her sprinting back to the course and finishing third, with a time of 30:47. She was only two seconds short of second place, which went to Kenya’s Jesca Chelangat in 30:45. Tesfay seized the opportunity and claimed victory, finishing four seconds ahead of Teferi in 30:43.

Tesfay also briefly followed Teferi’s detour before swiftly correcting herself and surging ahead to win the 10K title and the USD $10,000 prize.

While it’s not uncommon for runners to take wrong turns near the finish line, it is surprising that it happened to someone who won the race just last year. This a reminder that even professional runners make mistakes.

The AJC Peachtree Road Race is held annually in Atlanta on Independence Day. It is currently recognized as the world’s largest 10K race, with over 60,000 participants. Canada’s own Rory Linkletter finished 17th overall in this year’s race, posting a time of 29:12.

(07/04/2023) Views: 466 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

Charles Langat wins 2023 AJC Peachtree Road Race

Charles Langat won The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race’s men’s elite division Tuesday with a time of 27:43.

Tanzanian Gabriel Geay and Ethiopian Nimbret Melak finished second and third, respectively. Langat, Geay and Melak all finished at near identical times, officially recorded as 27:43. Race organizers later remarked that the finish may have been the closest in AJC Peachtree Road Race history.

Following his victory, Charles Langat expressed his confidence in winning the race after discussing it with his manager beforehand.

“Yesterday, I talked to my manager, and I told them that I would win the race,” Langat said after his winning performance.

Meanwhile, Andrew Colley was the top US finisher in 28:47 for 13th place.

In the women’s race, Senbere Teferi appeared to be on track to defend the title she won at the 2022 AJC Peachtree Road Race, but she took a wrong turn in the final moments, allowing Haiylu to seize on the instant and overtake the defending champion.

Jesca Chelangat from Kenya secured second place with a time of 30:46, while Teferi managed to recover and take third place with a time of 30:47.

The top American finisher in the race was Annie Frisbie, who clocked a time of 32:20 for 15th place, with Emma Grace Hurley running 32:28 to take 16th.

(07/04/2023) Views: 551 ⚡AMP
by Glen Andrews

Teferi and Scaroni Headline One of the Fastest Fields in History at the 54th running of the Peachtree 10k

The two defending women’s champions of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race will return to Atlanta to defend their titles next month. Atlanta Track Club, organizers of the annual 10K, announced the Susannah Scaroni (Ubrana, IL) will headline the Shepherd Center Wheelchair division while Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia tops the list of contenders in the women’s open division at the 54th Running of the race on July 4.

Teferi – who out leaned Irene Cheptai at the line last year to claim victory before crumpling to the ground in exhaustion – will have to fend off an all-star field including  two of the fastest 10K runners of all time − if she wants to retain her title. Six-time world-record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya has a personal best of 29:43, third on the all-time list. The winner of the New York City and London marathons, is making her Atlanta debut this summer, in her first 10K road race since 2019. Fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui, who will also be making her Peachtree debut, is the fourth-fastest 10K runner of all time and coming off a fourth place finish at the London Marathon in April.

“I am excited to defend my title in the 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race,”  said Teferi, the 5K world-record holder for a women-only race. “I look forward to the challenge from the best athletes in the world and am praying for cooler weather than last year; as the heat and humidity was very difficult in 2022″

Another top contender will be 2022 TCS New York City Marathon winner Sharon Lokedi of Kenya. Lokedi will return to racing this summer in a string of 10Ks that include the Peachtree. She was the upset winner in New York last fall, winning her marathon debut by seven seconds.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race course record in the women’s open division is 30:22, set by Brigid Kosgei in 2019. In the Shepherd Center Wheelchair division, that record is held by Scaroni who won the race in 21:14 to claim a $53,000 bonus. Scaroni said she looks forward to seeing how fast she can race the course in 2023.

“I am really looking forward to competing at Peachtree this year,” said Scaroni, the 2023 Boston Marathon winner. “I am always pushed to have a fun and fast race and plan to give this year’s everything I have.”

Registration for the 54th Running of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race is open through June 4. 

(06/01/2023) Views: 621 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

Senbere Teferi wins women’s elite division at AJC Peachtree Road Race

Two-time Olympian Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia won the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race women’s elite race with a time of 30:49. The two-time Olympian just narrowly edged Irine Cheptai.

Immediately after finishing, Teferi was sent to the medical tent, suffering a post-run sickness.

(07/04/2022) Views: 891 ⚡AMP

Rhonex Kipruto wins men’s elite division at AJC Peachtree Road Race

Against what was touted as the fastest field in the race’s 53-year history, Kipruto pulled away near the seven-kilometer point of the 10K race and finished in an unofficial 27 minutes, 25 seconds.

It is Kipruto’s second title at Peachtree, having won previously in 2019. Kipruto won despite having arrived Sunday evening on a flight from Doha, Qatar. Fellow Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie finished in second place.

(07/04/2022) Views: 987 ⚡AMP

Rhonex Kipruto and Kibiwott Kandie Added to Fastest Field in Peachtree History

Rhonex Kipruto is returning to Atlanta for two reasons: Vindication and to protect his event record at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. The 10K world record-holder was announced Thursday by Atlanta Track Club, organizers of the Peachtree, as a late addition to the elite field at Monday’s 53rd Running of the race.

The 2019 Peachtree champion isn’t the only Kenyan superstar joining the field: Also making the trip to Running City USA will be Kibiwott Kandie, whose personal best of 26:50 gives him the second-fastest 10K in the world this year and fifth fastest all time. Kandie, the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon champion and 2022 Kenyan 10,000m champion, will be making his Peachtree debut.

Kipruto’s winning time of 27:01 here in 2019 is not only the Peachtree record but also the fastest 10K ever run in the United States. To hold on to his event record – and perhaps be the first man to ever break 27 minutes on American soil – he’ll have to battle five other men with road personal bests under 27:15. In addition to Kandie who defeated Kipruto when they raced on the track earlier this month, that speedy group includes Bravin Kiptoo, who was the runner-up to Kipruto, his brother, in 2019.

Kipruto was not planning to race the Peachtree this year. As one of the top-ranked 10,000- meter runners in the world, he was expected to make the Kenyan team for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, later in July. However, he finished a disappointing sixth in the Kenyan Championships and now hopes to redeem himself by making history on the Fourth of July.

“Chasing after the course record, weather permitting, is on my mind, especially as I failed to make Team Kenya this past weekend,” said Kipruto. “What comes after the defeat is always more important than the defeat itself.”

Kirpruto’s 2019 course record came with a $50,000 bonus for the 50th Running of the Peachtree. This year, the bonus is $53,000 to be split among any men or women in the footrace or Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division who set a record. With two other division record-holders returning – Brigid Kosgei in the women’s footrace and Daniel Romanchuk in the men’s wheelchair division – anyone who sets a record this year may find themselves sharing the purse. There will be plenty of competition. For Kosgei – whose 30:22 course record is also the fastest time ever run in the U.S. – the path to victory has become slightly easier, as Sheila Chepkirui withdrew after finishing second in the 10,000 meters at the Kenyan Championships. However, Irene Cheptai, the 2017 World Cross Country champion who finished 6th in the 10,000m in Tokyo last summer, has been added to the field.

There have been several other notable withdrawals from the elite field. Eight-time Peachtree winner Tatyana McFadden, 2017 Peachtree winner Leonard Korir and 2022 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon winner Nicholas Kosimbei are no longer racing on Monday.

(07/01/2022) Views: 933 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

Sara Hall and Sam Chelanga Take USA 10K Titles At the 52nd AJC Peachtree Road Race

Just after the sun rose in Atlanta on an unusually cool July morning, Sara Hall (Asics) and Sam Chelanga (U.S. Army) claimed the USA Track & Field 10-K road running titles at the 51st AJC Peachtree Road race in 31:41 and 28:43, respectively.   Both athletes prevailed in late-race battles and each claimed $7,500 in prize money.  The race was the third stop of the 2021 USATF Running Circuit.

The women started ahead of the men, and Hall was part of a 15-strong lead pack which quickly formed in the first kilometer.  With her were other pre-race favorites, like Steph Bruce and Aliphine Tuliamuk (both of Hoka Northern Arizona Elite) and Gwen Jorgensen of the Nike Bowerman Track Club.  But, there were also two less established runners in the lead group, Annie Frisbie and Emily Durgin (adidas).

Durgin, 27, who finished ninth in the 10,000m at the USA Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field in Eugene, Ore., eight days ago, led the race through 5 kilometers in an honest 15:46.  Hall remained with her as did Frisbie and Tuliamuk, but Bruce and Diane Nukuri (Asics) began to drift back.  Durgin kept pressing, and 90 seconds later only Durgin, Hall and Frisbie remained in contention.

Hall, 38, who prior to today had won 10 national road running titles from the mile to the marathon, wasn’t surprised that it was Durgin who was pushing the pace.  Both women live and train in Flagstaff, Ariz., and know each other well.

“She’s been running so strong this year,” Hall told Race Results Weekly by telephone.  “At the Trials she had a great one.  So, I didn’t really know who would be charging out there.”

At about the 7-kilometer mark Hall and Durgin increased the pace, and Frisbie (who is only 24) had to drop back.  The two women spent most of the next three kilometers running side by side waiting for the right moment surge for the finish line.  As she did at the Mastercard New York Mini 10-K on June 12, Hall finally showed her cards in the final 400 meters.  She pulled away strongly from Durgin to win by eight seconds.

“That’s the first time I’ve kind of gone toe-to-toe with her in a race,” Hall said of Durgin.  “She’s got a great future ahead of her.  I’m excited to see what she does.”  She added: “I’m really proud of her.”

Durgin set a personal best of 31:49, as did Frisbie in third (32:06).  Nukuri rallied in the last two kilometers to finish fourth in 32:27, and Bruce (who won this race in 2018) got fifth in 32:35.  Tuliamuk, the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon winner, finished sixth in 32:43.

For Hall, today’s win lifted her spirits after she finished sixth at the Olympic Trials in the 10,000m, likely her final attempt at making an Olympic team on the track.  She also felt like she got some payback for a bad race at the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon, also held in Atlanta, where she was unable to finish.

“You know, I was wanting to kind of get through the hills,” Hall said of the middle portion of today’s race. “Obviously, these Atlanta hills crushed me in the Trials.  So, I definitely wanted to have a strong run over those hills.”  She continued: “Going into this race I just wanted to have fun out there… This was an opportunity for me to just to out there and enjoy racing.”

For Chelanga, today’s win was his first USA title since he won the 25-K crown in May, 2018, just before he said he was hanging up his racing flats.

“I had announced that I had retired after July 4th of 2018,” Chelanga said in his post-race television interview.  “Then when I got back in the Army, people noticed in the physical test that I was really fast, and I ran the 10-miler for the Army team (October, 2019).  So I did it.  Long story, but now I’m back here.”

(07/05/2021) Views: 1,199 ⚡AMP
by LetsRun

Registration Now Open for a Safe, Socially Distanced AJC Peachtree Road Race

This year will be a limited-capacity, two-day event held in-person and virtually on July 3-4. The in-person event in Atlanta will implement strict COVID-19 safety measures. Atlanta Track Club members receive guaranteed entry and priority choice of preferred race day. Non-members enter by lottery and race day preference will be accommodated as spots remain. The Club invites people to join/renew membership before registering to immediately receive their guarantee. 

(03/21/2021) Views: 1,412 ⚡AMP

ACJ Peachtree Road Race Planned As Two Day, In-Person Event for 2021

What is usually the nation's largest 10-K with over 60,000 finishers, the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta is planned as a smaller, two-day event for July 3 and 4, Atlanta Track Club (ATC) officials announced today. Safety is the top priority, officials said, not the size of the race.

"This year, the AJC Peachtree Road Race may not be the world's largest 10-K," said ATC executive director Rich Kenah through a media release. "Our top priority is for the Peachtree to be the world's safest 10-K."

That will be no small feat. Large, mass-participation running events like the Peachtree have all but shut down since the pandemic hit the United States in mid-March last year. All of the nation's biggest and most famous road races --the Boston Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Bolder Boulder 10-K, and TCS New York City Marathon, etc.-- were cancelled in 2020, or held as virtual events where participants ran on their own close to home.

In 2020 the Peachtree was first postponed from its traditional July 4, date to Thanksgiving Day, but was later cancelled as an in-person event and held virtually, instead.

To make the 2021 race possible, ATC officials will employ a wave start system, limit the size of the field, extend the amount of time runners can be on the course (to increase physical spacing), mandate face coverings both before and after competing, and use self-serve hydration stations to limit person-to-person contact. Runners who don't feel comfortable attending the race will also have the option to participate virtually.

"As planning continues, we will remain in constant communication with our medical team and the city of Atlanta to ensure all in attendance feel confident that their 4th of July celebration was both memorable and responsible," Kenah added.

A COVID-19 task force has been set up by the ATC and is led by Dr. Jonathan Kim, co-medical director of the race. The task force will regularly meet to assess current conditions and adjust event mitigation efforts, accordingly.

Also, the race will have an elite field this year with prize money for USA runners, only. There will also be an elite wheelchair race, one of the Peachtree's great traditions, supported by the Shepherd Center. The race will be broadcast live on Atlanta's NBC affiliate, WXIA-TV, 11Alive.

Registration for the event opens March 15, and will remain open until at least May 1. Runners may indicate whether they prefer to run on the 3rd (Saturday) or the 4th (Sunday).

(01/20/2021) Views: 1,256 ⚡AMP

Atlanta Track Club will be hosting this year’s Running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race virtually for the first time in its 51-year history

With a long and respected legacy of hosting Atlanta's most prestigious endurance events, Atlanta Track Club will be hosting this year’s Running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race virtually for the first time in its 51-year history. Despite not running or walking down Peachtree Road with 60,000 other participants in 2020, race organizers are building a virtual experience that will deliver an unforgettable and authentic Peachtree.

To launch this premier virtual event to participants in all 50 states and 31 countries, Atlanta Track Club looked to their partner haku for fully unique and completely customized technology solutions. haku, the Miami-based technology company, has become the industry leader in bringing the world’s most prestigious endurance events to life, such as the recent 124th Boston Marathon Virtual Experience.

"While we all will miss the sights and sounds of the Peachtree, we are confident haku will help us keep the storied Peachtree tradition going another year," said Rich Kenah, Atlanta Track Club’s Executive Director and Race Director of the AJC Peachtree Road Race. "We saw it through haku's work with the Boston Marathon that they understand the deep-seeded rituals associated with this race and have the ability to build unique and successful virtual events for thousands of runners at a time."

Creating an immersive event app for the Virtual Running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race with haku was an important focus in bringing this event to thousands of participants around the world. The app will have many innovative features to drive a memorable and engaging experience. Participants will be able to track their progress on the course, upload and compare results, engage with their community, and much more. To stay true to tradition, the Club also worked with haku to incorporate audio cues into the app’s race day experience to simulate the sounds that a runner would typically hear during the annual road race and provide encouraging messages from Olympian Meb Keflezighi, 2017 Peachtree Champion and U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon Champion Aliphine Tuliamuk and World Record Holder Daniel Romanchuk.

"Building the app with haku was a collaborative process. There were no rigid set of features that we had to adhere to. The app is fully customized for the AJC Peachtree Road Race participants," said Kenah. "haku has been great about meeting our particular needs and the whole process couldn't have been easier."

Atlanta Track Club and haku are excited to kick off this spectacular event at the end of November, which will deliver a unique Atlanta-centric experience rooted in tradition.

"The passion and dedication that the Atlanta Track Club has shown for this event are immeasurable," said haku Founder and CEO, Carlos Escobar. "The Virtual Running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race will make every participant and spectator feel like they're truly still a part of this 50-year long tradition."

After an extensive search, ATC chose to move forward with haku as its new technology partner in late 2019 after seeing haku’s unique capability of providing truly bespoke technology for its partners. Through their partnership, the organizations are looking forward to introducing new innovative event technology that will drive significant participant engagement, streamline operations, and provide extraordinary experiences for Running City USA.

"We're excited to be able to provide a more user-friendly, clean, and elevated experience for our members and volunteers," said Kenah. "In working with haku, we’re now able to have a better understanding of the people who interact with the Club, which will enable us to deliver more unique and personalized experiences."

The Virtual Running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race will begin on Thanksgiving Day, November 26. Participants can submit their results between 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, November 26 and 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 29.

(11/18/2020) Views: 1,290 ⚡AMP

AJC Peachtree Road Race has been cancelled, will be run virtually

The Atlanta Track Club bought time and considered going to great lengths to stage The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race as an in-person race. However, the coronavirus’ continued pervasiveness claimed another landmark sporting event. Initially delayed from its customary July 4 date to Thanksgiving Day in hopes that COVID-19 would have been under better control, the Peachtree now will be run solely in a virtual setting.

“We’ll do so with mixed emotions, but we’ll do it knowing that this is going to be the safest route and also the route that delivers the most authentic Peachtree possible,” track club executive director Rich Kenah told the AJC.

The long-standing Atlanta tradition will no longer be an event featuring 60,000 runners and walkers making their way through the streets, cheered on by a mass of spectators. Instead, participants will design a 6.2-mile course of their choosing with the use of an app and run on Thanksgiving. The track club will create the app that will enable participants to track their times and measure their performance against other finishers.

In May, when Kenah pushed the race from July 4, its home since the race’s inception in 1970, to Nov. 26, he described himself as “cautiously optimistic” that the world’s largest 10-kilometer race could be run down Peachtree Road. However, the spread of COVID-19 has not been curtailed as hoped, particularly in the state of Georgia. Bringing together tens of thousands participants, plus race staff, became less and less of a feasible option. Kenah said that it seemed that the chances of getting a permit from the city of Atlanta to hold the race decreased on a daily basis.

“And, to be honest with you, as we made some educated guesses, we never thought that the Southeast and Georgia specifically would be seeing the level of virus we’re seeing right now,” he said.

Custodian of a tradition cherished by thousands of Georgians, Kenah acknowledged feeling the aggravation shared across the state and region, saying that, “I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I feel as if we’re here as a result of a failure of leadership and collective sacrifice. And that frustrates me.”

Kenah added that he was not referring to any leader in specific.

“No, we as a country just need to own this together,” he said. “I’m not pointing fingers, but it disappoints me that, here we are, that our schools are day to day, our sporting events are being taken down one by one, and the rest of the world seems to have made the sacrifices necessary to try to get back to a new normal.”

(08/20/2020) Views: 1,341 ⚡AMP
by Ken Sugiura

The 51st Annual Running of the Peachtree normally held July 4th has been moved to Thursday November 26

Atlanta will celebrate family, fitness and the Founding Fathers this fall as the AJC Peachtree Road Race moves from the Fourth of July to Thanksgiving Day in 2020. The 51st Running of the Peachtree will take place on Thursday, November 26, Atlanta Track Club announced today. It marks the first time in the event's history that it will not be held on July 4.

"As Atlanta and the nation continue to take precautions to slow and stop the spread of COVID-19, we understand that Peachtree participants, volunteers, medical staff and the other first responders who keep them safe need more time to prepare for this year's race," said Rich Kenah, race director of the Peachtree and Atlanta Track Club's executive director. "We are thankful for the opportunity to move forward together with all of Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day in a responsible and safe format."

More than 45,000 people have already registered for this year's AJC Peachtree Road Race. All confirmed participants will remain registered with no further action needed. Current registrants will also have the option to complete the race virtually, move their entry to 2021 at no charge, transfer to a new participant, donate their registration fee to Atlanta Track Club's community initiatives or receive a refund. A full list of options can be found here.

Additionally, Atlanta Track Club plans to reopen registration for the Peachtree on August 31 -September 6 for members of the Club. For non-members it will open September 7 and will close on September 13 or when the event reaches capacity. Kilometer Kids Charity entries will remain open throughout the spring and summer.

The Club also announced efforts to plan and implement new safety measures at this year's race including fewer participants on each start line, longer separation between waves, re-imagining hydration stations and working with MARTA to get people to and from the event. "As it has been for 55 years, health and safety is Atlanta Track Club's top priority. COVID-19 has pushed us to review our best practices and protocols in the areas of event and program safety," Kenah said. "As this situation evolves and changes, we will make decisions based on the advice and information the Club receives from health experts."

Participants who chose to pick up their numbers in person will be able to do so at the Peachtree Health & Fitness Expo on November 23, 24 and 25 at the Georgia World Congress Center. This year's Peachtree Junior for children ages 14 & under will be held on Friday, November 27. Registration is open now.

The AJC Peachtree Road Race will replace the Invesco QQQ Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, 5K, Mile and Dash, which will be canceled for 2020. The Triple Peach Series presented by Mizuno will instead include the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon on February 28, 2021. Those registered for the Triple Peach will be automatically registered unless a refund is requested

(05/01/2020) Views: 1,928 ⚡AMP

The 2020 Peachtree Road Race to happen as scheduled on July 4

As conditions in Georgia continue to change daily in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the Atlanta Track Club is planning for the 2020 Peachtree Road Race to happen as scheduled on July 4.

Registration opened March 15 and will continue until March 31, unless the field is not full when registration is set to close, according to Rich Kenah, executive director of Atlanta Track Club and race director of the AJC Peachtree Road Race.

"If we see significant weakness and down the road, we see the opportunity where the sky is brighening a bit, where the outlook is strong, and we see the opportunity to bring people into the conversation who otherwise have been in the past, we'll evaluate that," Kenah told FOX 5.

Kenah said 2020 registration numbers in the first few days were better than all other years past besides 2019, which was the 50th anniversary race. There has been "a little bit of a slowdown" over the last week, but overall he estimated the registration total as of Wednesday morning to be in the "tens of thousands of people."

"About 20 percent of those who enter the lottery during the registration period do so during the last 48 hours, so over those last couple days, we'll have a true indication of the appetite for Atlanta for this year's (Peachtree)," he said.

If the race is postponed, Kenah said participants will be able to transfer their registration to a new date or request a refund.

(03/28/2020) Views: 1,238 ⚡AMP
by Kelly Price

Kenyan Rhonex Kipruto, 19, won the men's elite race with a record-breaking time of 27:01, the Atlanta Track Club said, not only that, he ran the fastest time ever on American soil

Spurred on by the chance to pocket $50,000 course record bonuses, Kenyans Brigid Kosgei and Rhonex Kipruto broke the women’s and men’s course records, respectively, at today’s 50th AJC Peachtree Road Race 10-K in Atlanta.  Kosgei, the reigning Chicago and London Marathons champion, clocked 30:22, ten seconds under Lornah Kiplagat’s 2002 record of 30:32.  Kipruto, the reigning world U20 10,000m champion, ran 27:01, just three seconds under the late Joseph Kimani’s 1996 standard of 27:04.  Both athletes were also awarded $8,000 as race champions.

Kosgei had to fight for her victory right to the line.  She was one of four women in contention at the four-mile mark (19:36), all Kenyans: Fancy Chemutai, Agnes Tirop, Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui and Kosgei.  The quartet was still together through 5 miles (24:44), and appeared to be too far behind the course record pace to achieve the bonus.

“I think the race for the record is gone on the women’s side but we have an outstanding race,” said commentator Craig Masback on the NBC SportsGold broadcast.

Tirop was the first to be dropped when Kosgei accelerated with 26 minutes and 45 seconds on the race clock.  Looking back a few times, she continued to press the pace and appeared to break away to try for the record alone. But less than two minutes later, Kosgei appeared to have blown up.  Chemutai, the winner of the B.A.A. 10-K nearly two weeks ago, passed Kosgei.  Seconds later, Tirop also passed her.

Gritting her teeth and clearly in pain, Kosgei found some extra energy and rejoined the fight.  Using the downhill section of the course before the finish, she upped her pace and as the finish line came into view, and she and Tirop were shoulder to shoulder and running all out.  Kosgei angled to the right just before the tape causing Tirop to cut left behind her losing a step.  At the line Kosgei had a step on Tirop, but both women were given the same time of 30:22.  Chemutai ended up third in 30:32.

Kipruto mostly raced the clock today.  He passed through the one-mile mark in 4:21 (the lone pacemaker Brandon Lasater had already dropped out), and by two miles (8:25) only his younger brother, Bravin Kipkogei Kiptoo, was able to stay with him.  Kipruto blasted through the 5-K in 13:12, and four miles in 17:19.  His 5-mile split was about 21:50, which put him slightly behind course record pace.

But like Kosgei, Kipruto took full advantage of the final downhill section into Piedmont Park.  Sprinting full-out to the line with his unique toes-out running style, he got the record.

“Wow, this guy is a sensation,” said Masback.

Kipruto’s brother got second in 27:31 and Kennedy Kimutai, another Kenyan, finished third in 27:56.

The top Americans on the day were Colin Bennie on the men’s side in 29:10 (8th place) and Emily Sisson on the women’s side in 32:03 (7th place).

About 60,000 runners entered the race today which was founded by the Atlanta Track Club in 1970 when only 122 athletes finished.  It is now the world’s largest fully-scored 10-K.

(07/04/2019) Views: 1,975 ⚡AMP
by David Monti

Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins has a fondness for the AJC Peachtree Road Race

His connection to the world’s largest 10K race, which celebrates its 50th running Thursday, goes deep.

Not only has Collins himself run it, but his father, Billy, ran in the first Peachtree in 1970. Billy Collins, who died in 2015 at the age of 64, loved the Peachtree, Geoff Collins said.Beyond that, Collins grew up in a family of runners for whom the Peachtree was an annual event. 

Collins, himself a runner growing up who has one marathon to his credit, has memories that may sound familiar to many Atlantans. Members of the Collins family ran the 6.2-mile race in the morning, “and then we would have a huge family barbecue in the Briarcliff area,” he said. 

“That was a great tradition for our entire family for a long, long time, centered around the Peachtree Road Race.” Billy Collins was no mere casual jogger, an identity that hardly existed in 1970 before the running boom took hold in the U.S. To be a competitive runner at that time required a different outlook and mindset, according to Jeff Galloway, the winner of that first Peachtree. Galloway went on to compete in the 10,000 meters in the 1972 Olympics and become an esteemed elder in the Atlanta running community.

“Even though the highly competitive, focused runners are still looked on as a little obsessive – or a lot obsessive –the bottom line today is that there are a lot of people who are running and understand the benefits of running,” Galloway said.Back then, there was no such consensus, at least among non-runners. It makes Billy Collins, then 19, stand out all the more.

Collins, in fact, blazed through the first Peachtree, finishing in 40 minutes, seven seconds, good for 19th among the 110 finishers, a group that has earned prized status as pioneers in a cherished event.

(07/02/2019) Views: 1,740 ⚡AMP
by Ken Sugiura

A Strong Elite women´s Field is set to attempt to lower the course record of 30:32, set by Lornah Kiplagat in 2002 at AJC Peachtree Road

Leading the way is Brigid Kosgei, 25, whose 29:54 on a downhill course in Madrid on New Year’s Eve ranks #2 all-time. Kosgei, winner of both the 2018 Bank of America Chicago Marathon and 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon, hasn’t lost a race since last September.

She will have her work cut out for her, however, with Kenyan compatriots Fancy Chemutai and Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui, a late addition, in the field.

Chemutai, 24, owns the fourth-fastest 10K in history (30:06) and the second-fastest half marathon (1:04:52), just one second off the world record. On June 23, she broke the course record at the B.A.A. 10K, running 30:36. Kosgei, however, won in their most recent matchup, the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January, by 22 seconds. The 25-year-old Kipkirui, meanwhile, has a 10K personal best of 30:19, the sixth fastest in history.

Edna Kiplagat, the two-time IAAF World Champion at the marathon and 2016 Peachtree Champion, and late addition Ruti Aga of Ethiopia, the 2019 Tokyo Marathon Champion who finished third behind Kosgei and Chemutai in the Houston half, could also contend, along with Kenya’s Agnes Tirop (30:50)

The top American in the field is Emily Sisson (Scottsdale, AZ), who will be racing for the first time since running 2:23:08 in London, the second-fastest American debut at the distance. Sisson, 27, is the 2016 USATF 10 km Champion and in January ran just five seconds off the American record for the half marathon.

The footrace fields will be aided by pacemakers for the first three miles down Peachtree, as the men's field will look to set out at 4:17 per mile pace and the women's field will attempt to average 4:55 per mile in an attempt to eclipse the event records.

(07/01/2019) Views: 2,306 ⚡AMP

America’s Biggest Road Race Is Atlanta’s Fourth of July Tradition

Thursday will be the 50th running of the Peachtree Road Race, a 10K that has become an Atlanta Fourth of July tradition. The idea for the race came in 1969 when Tim Singleton, then Georgia State University’s cross-country coach, and a few friends were driving back to Atlanta after running a Fourth of July race in Fort Benning, Ga. They thought, why not create one ourselves?

“July 4, 1970, was that first Peachtree with 110 finishers. We call those our original 110,” said Rich Kenah, executive director of the Atlanta Track Club, and Peachtree’s race director. (Singleton died in 2013.)

Now the event is the largest race in the country, with 54,570 finishers in 2018, and Kenah expects the number to be closer to 60,000 this year. (For comparison, the New York City Marathon had 52,813 finishers last year.) It’s a draw for pros, too, with $200,000 in bonus prize money up for grabs. The race has also doubled as the U.S. 10K women’s championships three times, and the men’s 10K championships four times. It even has its own shoe.

But what about the heat?, I asked Kenah.

“If you live in the southeast, you’re accustomed to hot, humid conditions through the summer,” he said. “It is what in part keeps Peachtree special.”

If you’re thinking of hopping in this year — too late. The race is sold out. You either need to be a member of the Atlanta Track Club, or gain entry through a lottery to make it in for 2020.

(06/30/2019) Views: 1,912 ⚡AMP

Kenya´s Rhonex Kipruto will be the man to beat at AJC Peachtree Road Race

On July 4, Kipruto will be chasing an even-larger bonus at the AJC Peachtree Road Race —$50,000 in honor of its 50th Running - for breaking the event record of 27:04."I wouldn't put it past him," said Sam Grotewold, director of professional athletes at New York Road Runners, which puts on the Central Park race. 

"You could tell (in New York) that you were watching something special even from the first mile or two." And that New York race wouldn't even be Kipruto's fastest 10K of 2018: In September, he won the Birell Grand Prix Prague 10K in 26:46, just two seconds off Komon's world record.

Set by Joseph Kimani in 1996, the Peachtree event record of 27:04 still stands as the fastest 10K ever run in the U.S. and is tied for ninth-fastest in the world. (The net downhill elevation of the Peachtree course means that times here are not eligible for official U.S. or world records.)  

Kipruto said recently that his training is going well, declaring: "I am ready to tackle the race."Coached by the famed Brother Colm O'Connell, an Irish missionary at St. Patrick's school in Iten, Kenya, Kipruto finished sixth in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships earlier this year and is coming off a victory at the Stockholm Diamond League meet on May 30 in 26:50.16. 

That's not only the fastest 10,000 meters on the track since the 2017 World Championships, but one of the fastest in almost eight years.  And he's only 19 years old.  "Distance runners run better as they get into their late 20s," said Jeff Galloway, winner of the inaugural Peachtree in 1970.

(06/29/2019) Views: 2,182 ⚡AMP

Sam Chelanga is retiring from running to enlist in the U.S. Army but why now?

Sam Chalange is going to retire from professional running after finishing 4th at the USATF 10k Championships at the Peachtree Road Race July 4 in Atlanta. Chelanga, 33, is going to enlist in the U.S. Army. On July 29, he will report to Fort Jackson in South Carolina for basic training.  Then it will be off to Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia, beginning October 15.   Even though Chelanga says he grew to love running, he was never motivated by medals or glory. He won four NCAA titles and five U.S. titles on the roads as a pro (he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2015).  Other things were moe important to him, a college degree, helping his family and home village back in Kenya, representing the United States, supporting his wife, Marybeth, and their two sons.  When asked what his proudest accomplishment in running was, he says that it wasn’t a race, but instead the moment when he realized he was actually going to graduate with a college degree “because that is why I started running.” The obvious question is why now? He was the top American finisher at last year’s World Cross Country Championships, finishing in 11th place. This year, Chelanga ran a half marathon personal best of 60:37 in Houston in January, finished 14th at the World Half Marathon Championships in March (again, he was the top U.S. finisher), and won the U.S. 25K title in May. He has plenty left in the tank. Which is precisely why Chelanga felt it was important to join the Army now. “I’ve done everything that I wanted to do in running,” says Chelanga, who achieved personal bests of 13:04 in the 5,000m and 27:08 (still the collegiate record, set in a very famous race where Chris Solinsky ran 26:59 and Galen Rupp 27:10) in the 10,000m. “I’ve got more than I asked for when I came in…I don’t want to wait until I’m old. I feel young, I feel fresh, I feel like I have a lot of energy and I want to take this job when I’m going to serve at the best level of my ability.” (07/06/2018) Views: 1,871 ⚡AMP

Tyler Penner says he surprised himself by placing third at the Peachtree 10k today

America’s Tyler Penner surprised himself today at the AJC  Peachtree Road Race 10k.   He wrote, “In such a strong field I didn't know how well I could run. I had been working out alright, but not fantastic. Last week, I felt awful, and my confidence was not where it usually is. All that carried over to the race. I felt terrible in the first half, with doubts creeping into my mind. I was drifting off the back of the back at times, almost just wanting to let them go. I took a few minutes regroup and reset. I told myself, "I've made it this far, be tough, all that strength from the marathon should be kicking in anytime now." Surprisingly that worked. I began to stick my nose in the race, eventually getting to the front truly believing I could win. Unfortunately the speed at the end was not quite there, but it's coming back.”  Tyler finished third clocking 28:49 only four seconds back of Bernard Lagat.  It was a hot and humid day and this is a challenging course.   (07/04/2018) Views: 1,820 ⚡AMP

Mission accomplished, a five-time Olympian Bernard Lagat wins AJC Peachtree Road Race

Bernard Lagat wanted to see it again. He was determined to return to Atlanta and win The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race after finishing fifth a year ago. Mission accomplished: With a time of 28:45, Lagat won the 2018 Peachtree Road Race.  “I wanted to come back again, and I wanted to win this,” Lagat said. “So I trained so hard. I decided not to race in some other races before this. My last race was in March. From March until this, there’s a lot of races I missed. But I thought it wouble be worth the sacrifice.” Lagat, a five-time Olympian, prepared for the hill challenges presented in the course. He had a much deeper understanding of it than a year ago. (07/04/2018) Views: 1,786 ⚡AMP

Stephanie Bruce wins the women's elite at the AJC Peachtree Road race

Stephanie Bruce, of Flagstaff, Arizona, won the 2018 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. It was Bruce’s first Peachtree win with a time of 32:21, defeating defending champ Aliphine Tulimuk (32:29). The victory also clinched Bruce the USA Track and Field 10K championship. “It was a long time coming,” Bruce said. “I’ve been trying to win a national title for the last 10 years.” Bruce has two sons, Riley and Hudson. She was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2010, but has battled through the condition as one of the country’s top runners. She won first in the Synchrony Financial Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon in January. She won second in the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K on June 2, and third in the USATF Outdoor Championships 10,000 meters in June 21. When she crossed the finish line, Bruce dropped to her knees. “It was relief, it was all the years of putting in hard work,” she said. “It was the heat and humidity Atlanta provided. The crowds were incredible. This really is ‘Running City USA.’” (07/04/2018) Views: 1,657 ⚡AMP

America's Lopez Lomong 10,000m track champion says it would be amazing to win Peachtree 10K too

Fresh off his national title in the 10,000m on the track one week ago, Lopez Lomong (Portland, OR) will compete for a 10 km title on the road for the first time as the AJC Peachtree Road Race will be Lomong’s 10K road debut. At the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships last month, Lomong unleashed a furious kick on the final lap to become the only man in history to win U.S. titles in the 1,500m and the 10,000m on the track. “The Peachtree is one of America’s most amazing events,” said Lomong. “It is my honor to come and run the streets of Atlanta. It’s a U.S. championship so it would be amazing to win it, but even to be a participant is massive.” Lomong, the torch-bearer for the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, will join previously announced contenders like U.S. Half Marathon Champion Chris Derrick (Portland, OR), his teammate in the Portland-based Bowerman Track Club and Bernard Lagat (Tucson, AZ), a five-time Olympian who smashed the AJC Peachtree Road Race masters course record (28:42) in 2017. Also in the men’s field are the top two American men from the rain-soaked and raw 2018 Boston Marathon: Shadrack Biwott (Folsom, CA), and Tyler Pennel (Blowing Rock, NC). Reigning USATF 25 km champion Sam Chelanga (Colorado Springs, CO) and 2016 Olympic marathoner Jared Ward (Kaysville, UT) will also compete. Last year’s Peachtree runner-up Shadrack Kipchirchir has withdrawn from the race, as has Abdi Abdirahman. “We are excited to welcome athletes who have won American titles, set American records and represented the United States around the world to Atlanta’s celebration of running and country on July 4,” said Rich Kenah, Executive Director of Atlanta Track Club and Race Director of the AJC Peachtree Road Race. “The AJC Peachtree Road Race has a rich history of crowning the legends of road racing and that history will continue in the race’s 49th running.” (07/02/2018) Views: 1,805 ⚡AMP

Lamar Perlis, 93 is not the fastest but will be the oldest male running the Peachtree 10K July 4th

Some runners are motivated by a desire to record personal-best times in every race they complete. Others are inspired by the idea that their favorite snacks are waiting just beyond the finish line. Lamar Perlis is unfazed by either of these things. He keeps moving to avoid an imaginary street sweeper. “I picture this enormous street sweeper at the end of the race,” he said. “I just keep thinking to myself, ‘Lamar, just stay well ahead of that street sweeper.’ That’s going to be constantly on my mind. I don’t care how fast I run as long as it’s faster than that street sweeper.” At 93, Perlis may not be the fastest participant, but he is the oldest male competitor running  in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race July 4.  He won the 90 plus division in 2016, finished second last year and will try to reclaim his title this Fourth of July. (06/29/2018) Views: 1,731 ⚡AMP

Olympic Triathon gold medalist, Gwen Jorgensen is set to race the AJC Peachtree Road Race

2016 Olympic triathlon gold medalist Gwen Jorgensen will chase a national title at the AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4 in Atlanta, which for the second consecutive year will serve as the USATF 10 km Championship for men and women. Jorgensen, the reigning Olympic triathlon champion as well as the 2014 and 2015 World Champion has retired from triathlon to pursue professional running. “I am thrilled to be racing in the AJC Peachtree Road Race,” said Jorgensen. “I am really excited to race the 10K on a hot and hilly course.”  The 49th AJC Peachtree Road Race is one of the nation's most recognizable Independence Day traditions. Jorgensen, whose 10K road personal best is 32:12, will face defending AJC Peachtree Road Race champion Aliphine Tuliamuk (Flagstaff, AZ), who has won U.S. titles this year in the 25K and the half marathon. They will compete against previously announced athletes such as Sarah Pagano (Boston, MA), last year’s runner up; Stephanie Bruce (Flagstaff, AZ), who placed third in the 10,000m in Des Moines and Sara Hall (Flagstaff, AZ) whose 2:26:20 at the 2018 Ottawa Marathon made her the 10th fastest American woman of all time in the marathon. (06/28/2018) Views: 1,953 ⚡AMP

93-year-old Betty Lindberg is running her 28th Peachtree 10K and she just keeps on going

Betty Lindberg likens herself to the Energizer Bunny because she just keeps going and going. Born Sept. 7, 1924, she is the oldest participant set to run in the 49th annual Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race this Fourth of July. Though there is another competitor who also is 93, Lindberg is exactly one week older than the most senior male runner, Lamar Perlis. This year’s race will be her 28th since completing her first at age 64. The Parkers Prairie, Minn., native was not aware of the Peachtree Road Race until her daughter and son-in-law asked her to drive them to the start line in 1987. At the time, she was not overly enthusiastic about getting up at sunrise on the Fourth of July, but once she witnessed the celebrations at the finish line, she decided to give the 10K a try. Lindberg began training by walking around her neighborhood and hasn’t stopped since. She now works with a personal trainer three days a week, completes races of various lengths throughout the year and follows the Atlanta Track Club’s 12-week program to prepare for the race. (06/27/2018) Views: 1,638 ⚡AMP

Aliphine Tuliamuk will return to defend her title at Peachtree Road Race July 4

The AJC Peachtree Road Race  will again serve as the USATF 10 km Championship, Aliphine Tuliamuk (Flagstaff, AZ) tops a star-studded women’s elite field that will blaze the trail for 60,000 runners and walkers in the world’s largest 10K. Tuliamuk won last year’s race in convincing fashion and has dominated the U.S. road circuit in 2018, winning national titles in the half marathon and 15K. Most recently, she was the top American and finished second place overall in the NYRR New York Mini 10K in New York City. Despite all her success in the past year, she still considers the Peachtree a career-defining moment. “It’s one of the most memorable races I have ever run,” said Tuliamuk. “I would love to smile until my cheeks hurt and hold my flag until my arms can’t support it like last year.” A win for Tuliamuk will not come easy. 2017’s runner-up Sarah Pagano (Boston, MA) will return. Pagano recently unleashed a punishing kick to win the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K in Albany, NY. Also in the women’s field is Sara Hall (Flagstaff, AZ), who last month recorded the ninth-fastest marathon time ever by an American woman at the Ottawa Marathon (2:26:20). Emma Bates (Boise, ID) who was second American at Bolder Boulder 10K (behind Tuliamuk) last month, London Marathon 10th place finisher Stephanie Bruce (Flagstaff, AZ) and Allie Kieffer (Buffalo, NY) who was the second American in the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon will all be making their debuts on Peachtree. (06/27/2018) Views: 1,624 ⚡AMP

Andy Lipman doesn't live to run, he runs to live growing up with Cystic Fibrosis

Andy Lipman is running the AJC Peachtree Road Race for the 22nd time this July 4 in Atlanta. His end goal is more than getting his best time. "A lot of people say they live to run," Lipman told 11Alive. "In my case, I truly run to live." The strength and endurance Lipman displays at 44 is a combination he never imagined growing up with Cystic Fibrosis. He's the first to admit that living the life-threatening genetic disorder has been a series of ups and downs. "When I was about eight years old I read in an encyclopedia people with CF don't normally live to the age of 25," Lipman said, "I was devastated." The knowledge haunted him from childhood until college. "I stopped doing my treatments. I stopped taking my meds," Lipman said. "I was just ready to die." But life wasn't done with Andy Lipman, and in his 20's, he realized there was another path. "I realized I'm still alive. What if I tried?" Lipman said. So he changed his life, beginning a daily regime revolving around weights and running. The effort fueled by the realization he had the chance his infant sister never had who passed away at only a few days old, he only later asked his parents why. "I didn't know how she had passed away until finally in my mid-20's I asked them," Lipman said, learning she also had Cystic Fibrosis. (06/20/2018) Views: 1,913 ⚡AMP