The beauty of staying right at the start line is that you can leave a lot later (especially if you have a later corral). I was meeting up our run squad in our corral around 6:45, so I didn't even leave the room until after 6:30 which was great.
Boom! Mile 1 is in the books! The first mile is the dullest of the 6.2 miles as there are a lot of barricades the first half mile-sih, so spectators cannot really line the streets here. We did manage to find some new friends with a water polo team and ran into our ol' friend Baton Bob.
Atlanta Track Club does a phenomenal job of positioning water stations about every mile, but sometimes the kindness of others really benefits you on course. Hydration was key today, and I cannot express enough gratitude for the volunteers (and other spectators) for providing support for the runners today.
A special shout out to our friend Jill and my sweet little running bestie, Abigail, for coming out to cheer us on and bringing out a wide variety of snacks and drinks for us (they even took special orders for Jill's cooler...she is the best!). Abigail is a few months shy of the age requirement for Peachtree, so she had to sit one final one out but she made sure that all 60,000 runners knew her plan to run in 2019.
There were a number of spectators and organizations that hand out refreshments along the way including watermelon, popsicle, water, beer, and more. We even met up with "Sherpa Steve" (Julia's husband) who was chasing us down along the course with cold water and such.
There is always one spot on the Peachtree Road Race course that I must stop at....Mellow Mushroom at mile 4! Y'all! Mellow Mushroom is out there with FREE PIZZA AND BEER! WHAAAAT!?!?! Obvs, we threw the awesome staff a few bucks for a tip because they deserve it, but who can pass up FREE pizza and beer!?!? I mean, if you were going for a PR or something...that wasn't our plan. We stopped for our snacks ;-)
Having the finish line at Piedmont Park provides an absolutely wonderful area for runners and their families and friends to hang out afterwards. A family reunion area greets runners and their family and friends with a place to find each other post-race. There are some great photo opportunities and some freebies set up throughout the park as well. Probably one of the most popular features is the ability to spread out and stretch out in the grass for a bit.
As we did last year, we all headed to the Atlanta Track Club post-race party at Park Tavern to meet up. For the past few years, Atlanta Track Club had a tent in Piedmont Park for members to gather after the race. Three years ago, they gave members a special treat with the party at Park Tavern and it was such a hit, they did so again last year and this year. We definitely felt like VIPs after the race - just one of the many perks of being an Atlanta Track Club member. We didn't get to hang out long as everyone was waiting on us to head back to the hotel and to eat. Ooops.
Thank you to the wonderful team at Atlanta Track Club, volunteers, law enforcement and emergency responders, spectators, and fellow runners for a wonderful morning of fun and festivities. 10 Peachtree Road Races down, many more to go! See you in 2019 for the 50th anniversary!
August 4th - 680 The Fan Tailgate 5K (FREE for members)
August 18th - Atlanta's Finest 5K, One Mile & 50m Dash
September 15th - Mercedes-Benz Stadium 5K/Walk Like MADD
Interested in becoming a member of the Atlanta Track Club and guarantee your entry to the 50th Peachtree Road Race in 2019? Learn more about member benefits and become a member here.