Peachtree and the 4th

Yesterday was the 4th, a celebration of all things good in America. This is normally a kick back holiday for me, but not this year. Gerri and I were in Atlanta with thousands of other runners, 55,000 to be exact for the 39th annual Peachtree 10K Road Race. This is the largest road race in the country. Waking up at 5:30 is not exactly sleeping in, but we knew getting to our starting corral may be a challenge even though we were staying only a few blocks from the starting line.

As soon as we stepped outside of the Courtyard Marriott, the humidity smacked you in the face. The temp was already about 70 and would climb to near 80 by the time our wave would start. This is far and away the most organized race that we have ever participated in. Every little detail, I mean EVERY detail is considered and an effective plan in place by the organizing team.

We turned north on Peachtree Road, walked on the sidewalk for a few blocks before crossing over to Lexox Square Mall. As Gerri said, thousands of lemmings just moving along, follow those in front of them. As we were walking thru the mall parking lot, the wheelchair racers went off in four waves. We continued on our march, following the sign to the starting corrals (we were starting group #5) and being stopped by event photographers three or four time to have our picture taken. We got to our corral, and joined the rest of the herd. It was about 6:45 and we had 45 minutes to wait until the official start of the race. Above us hovered 4 helicopters, local news and police. Around us "outside the fenced corrals" were runners moving to their starting groups or waiting in lines for the hundreds, maybe thousand port-a-potties.

The speakers, strategically placed throughout, blared some great music on non-stop instructions. The National Anthem was sung by a local singer and a C-130 flyover took place. As 7:30 approached the corral started to fill up, about 5,200 runners in our group, and slowly the group begin to slide forward. At exactly, the elite runners were off. The winner would cross the finish line after 10K's in 28 minutes, well before we would even start. As one group would start, the corrals would move up into position for their wave to begin. All in a very orderly fashion, and each time with excitement and cheering from the group. Groups 2, 3 and 4 moved into position and began the trek down Peachtree.

At about 8:00 they removed the barricade fencing between our corral and the starting line. A few minutes later, the large STOP signs being held in front of the group turned around and read WALK. Time for us to start the 1/4 mile walk to the starting line. As we got closer to the large red, white and blue flag of the U.S., it was 8:10 and time for our group. Forty minutes after the elite runners had started and twelve minutes after they had finished, it was our turn on Peachtree.

Gerri and I had decided that this would be a casual run. We wanted to enjoy the first time experience, so no racing for time but purely the enjoyment and energy of running. Good thing because things were slow going. There were many more walkers than I anticipated, so even at a slow pace the race was spent dodging walkers or runners that would stop to walk directly in front of you without warning.

The first 1/2 mile or so had virtually no spectators. This area had hurricane fencing in place to control the runners pre-race. After this section, there were spectators lining the route throughout the rest of the race. They were vocal and enjoying themselves. Many held signs, cheered and were dressed festive to celebrate the holidays. Outside of the hospitals or senior facilities, many were wheelchair bound. One inspiring gentlemen in a wheelchair held up a large sign that said, "Run, Run. Run." He high fived everyone that would come close enough. His legs were missing, and you knew deep down inside that he would give anything to be out there running with us, but his smile and enthusiasm motivated everyone that saw or came in contact with him.

There was music, and lots of it. Speaker systems blaring out the theme from Rocky or some 80's Pop classic tune. And there were bands, the good, the bad and the ugly. They all were a part of the experience and appreciated by the runners.

Official water stations were every mile, tables stacked high with cups to handle the large crowd of thirsty runners. And their were plenty of non-official water stations. I saw one young boy handing out Freezer Pops. I wish I had grabbed one of them, a cherry or grape flavored maybe. We didn't stop at any water stations until Mile 5, because we carried water bottles. It wasn't planned, but on the way to our corral some group was handing out bottled water and we each took one. We sipped on it as we waited, but then realized it would be unsafe to discard it and risk someone tripping. So we carried the water bottles and skipped most of the water stops.

I really don't remember much about the course, probably because I was always concerned with dodging runners/walkers and keeping Gerri close by. I know I scanned the crowds and drew much energy from their support. I remember some hills. One long downhill early in the race and maybe four hills that were long but the grade was not horrible. One hill is known as Cardiac Hill and crests near a hospital. I suppose if you are running for a PR the hills would be viewed differently, but for today they were just a way to see the large crowds in front of you.

There were many sprinklers. misting machines on the course to try to keep the runners cooled off. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke is a major concern at this race due to the temp, humidity and large crowds. My favorite sprinkler was towards the end of mile 2. One the right hand side was The Cathedral of St. Philip. Standing next to the road was a priest sprinkling "holy water" on runners that could get close enough. I took a major right turn once I saw it figuring that I needed it as much as the next guy, even if I'm not Catholic.

Due to the drought in the southeast, they had to alter the finish slightly this year. Instead of having the post race festivities in Piedmont Park, they were to be held in the Civic Center. Just like the rest of the race, the finish is extremely well managed. After crossing the finish line, you keep moving for almost a half mile. During this time you get a bottle of water, get you chip removed (if you had a seeded qualifying time only) and then move through the T-Shirt area. The Peachtree t-shirt is only given to finishers, so it is a prized commodity in this area. The final design is always kept a secret until race day, but I'm happy to say that the final design is the one that we liked best from the finalists selected.

We decided to skip the post race activities, opting instead to take MARTA back to the hotel. It was an experience, crowded and sweaty, but we made it. After showers we stopped on the way home and had a nice lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. We eventually made it home in the afternoon. Last night we headed out to Heritage Park to listen to the Greenville Symphony and watch the fireworks. An estimated crowd of 8,000 joined us. The symphony was great as usual, but instead of the 1,500 or so adults that we have come accustomed to in previous years downtown, this year we had to put up with the families. The enjoyment can be taken out of listening to the symphony when you have kids running around screaming and teens talking non-stop. I missed the intimacy of the downtown performance, but still get chills hearing the 1812 Overture and with 11 real cannons to boot. For me, that still makes the evening worthwhile.

The fireworks were good, the traffic control leaving the park was not.

It was a good 4th of July, one that I will remember the rest of my life.