The race to the White House isn’t the only contest on Georgians’ minds.
Exactly one week after the presidential debate, people all over the Peach State will look for the winners of the annual Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race.
Many local and national politicians run the 10-kilometer race. Atlanta Track Club CEO Rich Kenah said on “Politically Georgia” Tuesday he welcomes runners from both sides of the aisle.
“I want to be clear that the track club in this race is apolitical. So we welcome everyone from the left and from the right,” said Kenah.
The race is in its 55th year and this year’s event will be the club’s largest since its 50th in 2019 and a return to pre-pandemic levels of participation.
“We’ll be in excess of 50,000 people,” said Kenah.
The AJC Peachtree Road Race is billed as the world’s largest 10K race. It happens every Fourth of July, and the planning takes up so much time that Kenah — a former Olympian and two-time World Championship bronze medalist — hasn’t had a chance to run it himself.
“I get to live vicariously through you and 50,000 other people as I watch you guys cross the start line, and then I race the back way down the finish line,” he said.
Credit: contributed
Credit: contributed
Kenah and other workers will be watching the heat as the July race brings scorching temperatures.
“The good news is it’s been hot for the last week, so that’s a great way to get acclimated,” said Kenah. “For those who have not done enough preparation, it’s not too late.”
“Get out in the morning, the time that you’re normally going to be participating, and get acclimated to the heat and the humidity out there,” he added.
But even in the sweltering heat, the entertainment surrounding the Peachtree Road Race will be on full blast.
“We’re the party of the summer, so leaning into that theme, we’ll have more entertainment on the course and the finish line than we’ve ever had,” said Kenah.
He said the race will have everything from “country music artists to hip hop artists, to cheer stations, volunteers, everything and anything in between.”
“We expect hundreds of thousands of people to be watching as well,” he said.
It is too late to register for this year’s race, but if you still want to be involved, there is a way to participate.
“The race doesn’t happen without volunteers,” said Kenah.
The deadline to volunteer for the race is this Wednesday. To volunteer, fill out the track club’s online form.
You’ll be able to see the available opportunities, and the duties, as well as how many spots are still available, and you’ll be able to tick off the ones that interest you.
“If you take the collective years of experience of our volunteers, there are over 100,000 hours of volunteer expertise,” said Kenah. “(They) will be deployed out there to make sure that everybody really does have the best possible experience on the Fourth of July.”
Wednesday on “Politically Georgia”: Former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss discusses the bipartisan Democracy Defense Project, which aims to counteract efforts to make people distrust elections.
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