Building on the theme of “the year of the team”, the 2015 AJC Peachtree Road Race will feature a team competition between our nation’s military branches in the second annual Kilometer Kids Charity Chase. The military teams will compete separately from the inaugural elite team competition, the Peachtree Cup.
In partnership with United Military Care, this year’s Kilometer Kids Charity Chase will feature six teams: Team Air Force, Team Army, Team Coast Guard, Team Marines, Team National Guard and Team Navy. Each team will consist of six runners representing all of the military children from their branch. The teams will be competing for bragging rights in two areas: The fastest military branch and the team that receives the most donations for Atlanta Track Club’s Kilometer Kids youth running program through an online fundraiser.
"Our nation's military members not only serve and protect, but are also great examples of health and fitness," said Rich Kenah, Atlanta Track Club's executive director. "We are humbled that these heroes will celebrate July 4th running the AJC Peachtree Road Race in support of Atlanta Track Club's efforts to help get kids active through our Kilometer Kids program."
The online fundraiser will allow supporters to select a military team at the time of donation. All proceeds will go towards expanding the reach and accessibility of the Kilometer Kids program in metro Atlanta as part of a continued effort to encourage young people to achieve health and fitness through running. A portion of the funds raised will go towards starting a Kilometer Kids program at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, in the fall of 2015, the first one to be established on a military base.
"Our teams are excited to see which military branch receives the most donations for Kilometer Kids as well as which one crosses the finish line first on July 4th," said Leenie Ruben, board secretary of United Military Care. "We are delighted at the idea of introducing a Kilometer Kids program at Fort Benning this fall. Our military kids serve too, and we hope the participants, spectators and volunteers at the 2015 AJC Peachtree Road Race will donate to one of the military teams in support of children's fitness."
The 46th running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race will take place on Saturday, July 4, 2015. The AJC Peachtree Road Race is the world's largest 10K with 60,000 participants.
For more information, including how to donate to the Kilometer Kids Charity Chase, visit charitychaseforkids.org. Additional details about the 2015 AJC Peachtree Road Race are available at peachtreeroadrace.org.
About Atlanta Track Club
Atlanta Track Club is a nonprofit committed to creating an active and healthy Atlanta. Through running and walking, Atlanta Track Club motivates, inspires and engages the community to enjoy a healthier lifestyle. With more than 21,000 members, Atlanta Track Club is the second largest running organization in the United States. In addition to the AJC Peachtree Road Race (peachtreeroadrace.org) – the largest 10K running event in the world, the Atlanta 10 Miler and Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, Atlanta Track Club directs more than 30 events per year. Through the support of its members and volunteers, Atlanta Track Club also maintains a number of community initiatives including organizing and promoting the Kilometer Kids youth running program to metro Atlanta youth, honoring high school cross country and track and field athletes through Atlanta Track Club's All-Metro Banquets and supporting the Grady Bicycle EMT program. For more information on Atlanta Track Club, visit atlantatrackclub.org.
About the AJC Peachtree Road Race
The AJC Peachtree Road Race is a 10K event that takes place every Fourth of July in Atlanta, Georgia. The first Peachtree was held in 1970 and featured 110 runners. The AJC Peachtree Road Race is now the largest 10K running event in the world with 60,000 participants. The AJC Peachtree Road Race is perhaps most famous for the coveted AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt, which is handed out to all the event finishers. For more information on the AJC Peachtree Road Race visit peachtreeroadrace.org or AJC.com/peachtree.
About The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the leading source – both in print and online – of news, information and advertising for metropolitan Atlanta, reaching a total print and online audience of 1.5 million people each week. Every month, nearly 4.1 million unique visitors access the newspaper's websites, including AJC.com and accessatlanta.com. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is part of Cox Media Group, a publishing, digital media and broadcasting subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.
About United Military Care
United Military Care is the go to nonprofit in Georgia for military families and veterans who need real solutions to crisis relating to military service. Having assisted well over 35,000 military service members, veterans and dependents since 2012, United Military Care believes in providing assistance along with education to empower our military families to live a strong and positive life. For more information about United Military Care visit unitedmilitarycare.org and kidsservetoo.org to learn about the initiative to help promote mental and physical wellness among military youth.
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