My First Peachtree Road Race

In Atlanta each year on the 4th of July, there is a huge 10K race. They say it is the world's largest 10K and that over 60,000 people run/walk it each year.  With so many people running the race, they use a lottery system to decide who runs each year. Thankfully, I made it and I was excited  to see what the Peachtree was all about.

Me, Michelle, Candy and Jamie

 

On Friday I went with my friends to the Expo to pick up our running numbers.

I had never been to an Expo that big, so many booths to look at and it felt like

a million people were there.

Early Saturday morning we waited at the MARTA station to take the train

to downtown where the race starts.

Our "before" pictures- ready to run!

The weather had been rainy on and off all week and they were predicating some

rain for the 4th of July. As we walked to the start area, the rain stared sprinkling down.

Every runner is assigned a corral to start in according to times

a runner had from a previous race.  The really fast runners are in corral A

and it goes all the way to corral Y. I was in corral D, but all my other friends

were in P, so I waited for the start with them.

Corral N --line up and ready to go.

 

So many people, as far as I could see. We waited for our turn, talked, took pictures and it started

raining a little harder. I had a small umbrella and lots of people had rain ponchos.

We were about five minutes from our starting time, when we heard thunder and lightening.

So they stopped the race and made us leave the road. We all crowded around the mall

 and waited for an announcement when we could run.  It was crazy! Trying to move

thousands of people and everyone had something to say.

We had to wait 30 minutes and then we were able to run. My friend

snapped this picture of me near the start line. I was ready to go!

I have run in the rain lots of times, and don't mind it, but just being

wet and waiting was no fun.

We finished and had to go to a big park for our "special" race t-shirts. The Peachtree gives out a

specially designed t-shirt each year, instead of a medal. Because of all the rain and thousands of

people, the park was a big mud pit.

Soaking wet and muddy, but we finished! It was quite the experience and I am glad I was there.

Thinking about maybe running it again next year.

My shirt!