77-year-old running final Peachtree Road Race in honor of now-passed friend

ATLANTA - Every runner who hits the pavement to take part in the Peachtree Road Race has their own reason for lacing up their shoes for the Fourth of July tradition.

This year will be 77-year-old Cliff DePass's last time to cross the finish line, and he's planning on taking on the 6.2-mile stretch with a purpose.

"It's always been an exciting event to run. I enjoy it - didn't know I'd be running this long though," DePass said. 

DePass started running in high school and hasn't stopped.

"Do the math - I guess I've been running for over 50 years," he said.

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The Peachtree Road Race became a personal tradition for DePass in the 80s, and 2024 will be his 37th time. This last trip, which DePass calls his "race of reflection," is fueled by special intentions.

"I decided to run in honor of Janet Sharp," DePass said. "She passed this last January. She herself ran 25 Peachtree Road Races."

DePass met Janet and her husband, George Sharp, through the Atlanta Track Club.

"I said, ‘George, I think it would be nice for me to do one more Peachtree in honor of Janet," DePass told FOX 5’s Kaitlyn Pratt.

The race will also be a way to tackle a very personal grief. DePass's child, Clifford, passed away unexpectedly in 2021, so the memories of the race have even more magic now.

"This was a dream come true," DePass said, showing photos of a past Peachtree Road Race. "I ran the 2009 Road Race with my four children."

DePass has been training by jogging three times a week. While he's been blessed with avoiding knee or back injuries, he will walk up the notorious "cardiac hill." 

It's an exercise in dedication for a run of reflection.

"I'll be thinking of Janet and also my son," he said.