The AJC Peachtree Road Race is back for its 56th year, drawing runners from around the world to the largest 10K in the country — and we’ve got it all covered.
Stay with us for everything leading up to race day: street closures, weather updates, prerace events and preparation. Then, once the starting gun sounds, we’ll bring you live updates from the course.
Download the AJC News app to track your favorite runners in real time, browse race-day photos, check official results and — of course — be among the first to see the winning design of the coveted Peachtree Road Race T-shirt.
Race day is just about here, and if you’re looking to track your favorite runners, we’ve got you covered.
You can sign up in the AJC News app to view race results, track runners and explore everything you need for the Peachtree Road Race.
Click here to follow along in real-time and beyond right from your mobile device.
If you’re running in the 56th AJC Peachtree Road Race, you can expect temperatures in the low to mid-70s when the first wave takes off at 6:50 a.m. By midmorning, temps are expected to reach the mid-80s.
The lower humidity on Friday could help keep runners cooler. Last year, a black flag was issued around 10:40 a.m. because of extreme heat, which meant the last 1,000 or so runners did not have their official results recorded.
Rain, which has impacted past races, is not in the forecast for Friday morning.
Crossing the finish line at the AJC Peachtree Road Race is a monumental achievement. For athletes in the wheelchair race, that's no different.
Last year, Daniel Romanchuk and Susannah Scaroni crossed the finish line to win the men's and women's wheelchair divisions of the 55th running respectively.
Watch as wheelchair racers cross the finish line at the 2024 AJC Peachtree Road Race.
Like many cherished traditions in the South, the AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt that runners get after crossing the finish line is a badge of honor.
But the T-shirt design wasn't the tradition it has become until the "pumpkin" shirt fiasco.
Georgia is known as the Peach State, but after the 25th anniversary design and public outrage, a new tradition arrived.
Get the story behind the Peachtree Road Race T-shirt contest here.
Christopher and Nicole Russell of Woodstock worked to turn years of health challenges into a remarkable transformation. Now the couple is taking on the AJC Peachtree Road Race.
The couple, who collectively lost more than 150 pounds, has been training for the race since April as a celebration of their health journey.
While they aren’t in it for the trophy, their goals are still ambitious. Nicole, 32, who has lost 87 pounds since September, is confident they will complete the 6.2-mile race. Christopher, 36, has dropped 65 and is hoping they can cross the finish line in an hour.
More than 3,000 kids age 14 and under gathered at Lenox Square on Thursday for the Peachtree Junior, the youth edition of the AJC's Peachtree Road Race sponsored by Chick-fil-A.
Fourteen-year-old Violet Bove, winner of the “Oh Say Can You Sing” contest, sang the national anthem at the start of the race.
A few minutes later, just past 9 a.m., the countdown for racers’ takeoff began as the sun beat down overhead; in the mid-morning, the temperature had already climbed to over 75 degrees.
Clark Koepp, 10, had been asking his mom Amy — who will run Peachtree for her 23rd time this year — if he could run the race for years. “You're not old enough to do that,” Amy, who hails from Cumming, remembers telling him. “You have to be 10.” So, when Clark got the chance to run the Polar Opposite Peachtree Race in January, he leapt at the chance. A few months later, at Peachtree Junior on Thursday, Clark thundered across the finish line with a time of 5:47, placing first among 10-year-olds.
Dee Littles, who hails from Decatur, and his daughters Gracee, 6, and Dejah, 11, maneuvered their way around crowds on Thursday, roaming among vendors and tables underneath the tents before the start of the race.
For Dejah, the race is an opportunity to take after an idol of hers — Florence Griffith Joyner, otherwise known as Flo Jo, the former Olympic sprinter still considered the fastest woman of all time more than 25 years past her death in 1998. Dejah remembers reading about Joyner in a Black History book and feeling inspired.
“I trained with my dad, and we ran a mile, and we kept doing it over and over again,” she said.
Click here to see photos of the Peachtree Junior runners in action.
On top of rest, hydration and warming up, you have another thing to consider: transportation.
There is no parking for participants at the Lenox Square start, so the best options will be MARTA or ride share.
The start line is easily accessible from MARTA’s Lenox Station, and after the race ends at Piedmont Park participants can make their way to the Midtown station to take the train home.
For those who prefer to catch a ride with Uber, Lyft or a friend, the race will have designated drop-off spots at:
- East side: Lenox Road and Ga. 400 north
- West side: East Paces Ferry and Roxboro roads
- North side: Peachtree Street and Narmore Drive
A fireworks display will light up the night Thursday before the big race.
Launched from the Macy’s parking deck at Lenox Square, the display will begin just after 9 p.m. and is part of an expanded program of events around the world’s largest 10K.
“Atlanta Track Club is reigniting this cherished tradition as part of an expanded multi-day celebration of the Fourth of July," the track club wrote in an announcement.
While the fireworks will be visible throughout Buckhead — and much of Atlanta — a closed pedestrian area at Lenox Square will only be open to registered participants and their guests.
Peachtree Road isn’t the only course AJC Peachtree Road Race participants will tackle Friday morning.
In addition to the 50,000 runners expected on the Atlanta route, thousands more will take part virtually — hitting the pavement in their own neighborhoods across the country and beyond.
If you’re in that camp, here is how to submit your run times on race day.
It’s time for the Peachtree Health & Fitness Expo presented by Publix. Pick up your race numbers, visit booths to get perks and deals from sponsors, and come see us — we’ll help you get set for your strongest Peachtree yet!
For 2025, the expo has moved from the Georgia World Congress Center to Lenox Square! The new expo is a walkable, multiday celebration in the heart of Buckhead — and we're live and in person.
Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know about this year’s event.