Peachtree Road Race 2024: Thousands participate in annual race
ATLANTA - 10:45 A.M. The Peachtree Road Race has been officially stopped because of the heat and humidity. The race was stopped shortly after 10:40 a.m. after a black flag was issued because of the heat. However, runners were still allowed to finish. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the last 1,000 or so runners did not have their official results recorded because of the black flag.
9:30 A.M. UPDATE: The start line of the Peachtree Road Race in Buckhead is now desolate, with organizers packing up as all racers have either finished or are making their way along the route.
Among the familiar faces crossing the finish line were Mayor Andre Dickens and Sen. Raphael Warnock. Senator Warnock shared his experience, saying, "I'm from Savannah, Georgia, so I know a little bit about humidity. It's humid today, but down in Savannah, it just sits on you. It was tough coming out of the gate, but the more I ran, the better I felt."
Mayor Dickens finished the race in 1:05:05 and Sen. Warnock finished in 1:08:50.
Despite the challenging humidity, the weather has not been too hot yet, allowing runners to enjoy their journey to Piedmont Park. Many participants are now relaxing and enjoying the festivities before the heat intensifies.
9 A.M. UPDATE: Daniel Romanchuk won the men's wheelchair division and Susannah Scaroni won the women's race. Romanchuk and Scaroni also won in 2023 and this year's win was the 7th consecutive win for Romanchuk.
CREDIT: Atlanta Track Club
This year's coveted Peachtree Road Race T-shirt was designed by Atlanta artist Nick Turbo.
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A.M. UPDATE: Atlanta’s annual Peachtree Road Race is underway, with participants making their way down the route.
This year’s race is the largest since 2019, with 50,000 participants from 32 countries, including as far away as Melbourne, Australia. Every state in the U.S. is represented, though about 90% of the racers are from Georgia. Participants range from infants to individuals as old as 99.
Mayor Andre Dickens is among the runners today.
"This is going to be my second time running. I plan to run, jog, take it easy, enjoy the festivities, talk to the media, talk to my friends along the way, and take a bunch of selfies. It's such a fun time to be outside in the city of Atlanta," he said.
Although the race is just beginning for many, it's already over for the top male and female.
Sabastian Sawe ran the course in 28:03 minutes and Stacy Ndiwa's time was 31.12.
ORIGINAL STORY
Thousands of runners are expected to take to the streets of Atlanta on Thursday for the 55th annual Peachtree Road Race.
Organizers say they are anticipating their largest crowd since 2019 for the popular Atlanta Fourth of July tradition, and they've been working for weeks to prepare for around 50,000 walkers and runners taking part in the race either in-person or virtually.
This year, organizers say racers should expect new fun experiences as they try to finish the world's largest 10k race.
"We’ve got more entertainment, more bands, more community engagement, community groups and volunteers than we’ve ever had," race director Rich Kenah said.
With high temperatures expected, organizers have plans in place to help beat the heat.
"We have an army of medical professionals over my right shoulder who will be in the park to help treat and address any heat-related illnesses we may see," he told FOX 5. "Once upon a time, we just had water bottles in the meadows, but now we cool all those water bottles, and now we’ve added misters all across the meadow because it can get hot in there after you finish running."
There will also be hydration stations throughout the race route along with the thousands of water bottles available for participants.
Officials say all 50 states and 32 countries will be represented in this year's race. The participants traveling the furthest for the race are from Melbourne, Australia.
This year, the oldest participant in the race will be Atlanta resident Betty Lindberg, a 99-year-old woman who has participated in every Peachtree Road Race since 1989 except for one.
Whether you're heading to the starting line in Buckhead to put your feet to the pavement on July 4th or cheering on family and friends at the finish line at Piedmont Park, here's your guide to navigating Atlanta before and during the race:
Peachtree Road Race 2024 schedule and start times
Here is the schedule of events for the 2024 Peachtree Road Race in Midtown Atlanta:
- 6:25 a.m. Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division Start
- 6:44 a.m. Mayor’s Message – Andre Dickens
- 6:50 a.m. Women’s Start
- 6:53 a.m. National Anthem by the Four Fellers barbershop quartet
- 6:55 a.m. Parachute Landing
- 7:00 a.m. Men’s Elite, Elite High School Division, Seeded & Wave A
- 8:00 a.m. Awards ceremony for top 3 finishers in footrace and wheelchair divisions – at the finish line
- 8:45 a.m. Last Start Wave begins
- 9:00 a.m. Start Line Closes
- 11:00 a.m. Finish Line/Race Course officially closes
AJC Peachtree Road Race (Credit: Atlanta Track Club)
Peachtree Road Race 2024 road closures
Closures will begin around the starting area at Peachtree Road by Marque Road and Lenox Parkway starting at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Peachtree Road from Lenox Road to Around Lenox Parkway will close starting at midnight on Thursday. All other area closures will start at 4:30 a.m.
- Peachtree Road from Peachtree Dunwoody Road to Piedmont Road
- Around Lenox Parkway from Peachtree Road to Lenox Road
- Lenox Road from Peachtree Road to Ferncliff Road
- Buckhead Loop from Peachtree Road to GA 400
- Phipps Blvd. from Buckhead Loop to Wieuca Road
- Wieuca Road from Old Ivy Road to Roxboro Road
- Roxboro Road from Kingsboro Road to Peachtree Dunwoody Road
- Prichard Road from Roxboro Road to Oak Valley Road
- Lakeside Road from Pritchard Road to Kingsboro Road
- Kingsboro Road from Roxboro Road to Lenox Road
- Oak Valley Road from Peachtree Road to E. Paces Ferry Road
Around the course, parts of Peachtree Road and 10th Street will be shut down starting around 3 a.m. while the race is going on until 11:30 a.m. During that time, all cross traffic across Peachtree Street and 10th Street will be prohibited.
These streets will be closed near the finish line on Wednesday:
- 10th Street from Charles Allen to Monroe Drive – 24-hour closure
- 10th Street from Piedmont Road to Charles Allen – 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Piedmont Road from 13th Street to 9th Street – 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
These streets will be closed near the finish line on Thursday:
- 10th Street from Charles Allen to Monroe Drive – Until 5 p.m.
- Charles Allen Drive from 8th Street to 10th Street from 3 a.m. to noon
- 10th Street from Myrtle to Charles Allen Drive from 3 a.m. to noon
- 10th Street from Peachtree Street to Myrtle from 4 a.m. to noon
- Monroe Drive from Kanuga to Virginia Avenue from 5 a.m. to noon
- 8th Street from Monroe Drive to Peachtree Place from 7 a.m. to noon
- Peachtree Place from Peachtree Street to West Peachtree Street from 8 a.m. to noon
Peachtree Road Race parking and MARTA
Premium starting line parking was available for purchase, but the deadline has since passed. If you have purchased the parking, you should have already received a hang tag for your car and a prepared parking ticket. The lot for the starting line parking is located at the Alliance Center Parking Deck at 3424 Peachtree Road. Take the Lenox Road exit off of Ga. 400 North or Ga. 400 South at 5 a.m.
Participants and spectators are encouraged to use MARTA, which will begin service at 4 a.m. on race day.
Lenox Station on the gold line is closest to the starting line. Midtown or Art Center stations provide the most convenient access to the finish line.
This year's special MARTA Breeze fare is a wristband that can be scanned just like a regular Breeze card. If you've purchased the wristband, you should have received it with your runner bib that was mailed to you. You can also purchase a wristband at the Peachtree Health & Fitness Expo.