Peachtree Road Race - Report

I know you all are on pins and needles awaiting the report for my 4th of July race, right? Okay, so most of you probably didn’t even know I was running a race on Independence Day. Now that I live so close to Atlanta and running has become a larger part of my life, I think it would be a bit of a crime to not run the annual PEACHTREE ROAD RACE. This race is the largest 10k race in the world with 55,000 allowed slots that sell out in 2-3 days. (The Bolder Boulder is fast approaching with just over 54,000 runners this year but they don’t cap their runners and even allow same day registrations. Bib numbers are bought and sold on places like Craig’s List and the race T-shirt is a status symbol in this town.

Some of this may be old news to you but the story really starts at the registration process. The Atlanta Journal Constitution prints the entry forms in a Mid-March Sunday Newspaper which you have to buy and then mail in the form and a check (if you want a seeded time group you also send in a copy of an official race result). The story starts when I forgot to get that Sunday paper and didn’t realize my oversight until I was at work the next day, which also happened to be my birthday. I hastily called my wife and had her track down a form, print out my race results, and mail off my entry form. On her way home from the mailbox, she turned left out of the shopping center and clipped a glass truck, totaling our mini-van. So you can say that my Peachtree entry cost me several thousand dollars!

A few weeks later I noticed my check had cleared giving me the heads up that I was accepted into the race. In late June I got my race packet in the mail with my race bib and timing chip. I was placed in group 1B as I expected. The field is so large that they try to seed the runners as best they can. First are the elite runners and invitees, they are followed buy the "sub-seeded" group who have times faster than 42 minutes, group 1A runners have official times between 42 and 50 minutes, and group 1B have official times between 50 and 55 minutes. Although I logged a 48 minute 10k on Memorial Day that was after my registration went in in March with my previous PR of 51 minutes and change. So next year, should I run it, I will be eligible to move up to group 1A. For runners slower than 55 minutes or with no official time you are assigned groups 2-9 and for those in the back the race is long over before they take their first step.

That is the groundwork, here is race day. I awoke at 5 am and showered. I immediately noticed that the 30-40% humidity we had enjoyed all week had been replaced by 85% humidity that morning. I dressed and kissed my wife goodbye and headed downstairs. I really wasn’t in the mood to make anything so I grabbed two pop-tarts and a Diet Mt. Dew. Not exactly the breakfast of champions but I have run further on less and pop-tarts have never bitten me before. I drove to the train depot to take MARTA to the race rather than deal with traffic in and around 55,000 runners.

I arrived at the start area about an hour before the race started. This was according to plan so I could use the facilities prior to running. The portables had a 30-minute wait but it was well worth it. I watched the wheelchair runners start while I waited in line. The line was twice as long when I finished as it was when I started so I don’t know what those runners ended up doing… From there I made my way to my coral. Each group is herded into fenced areas that you can only enter with an appropriate bib. Once in I moved as far forward as I could without feeling rude for cutting in front of other people. This does not mean others wouldn’t do it however. MANY people pushed and shoved as the start approached to get that extra 5 feet closer to the Kenyans… I understand competitiveness but if it is that important to you, get there earlier!

After the race started it took me a good minute and a half of shuffling before I finally crossed the start line and started my watch. The only thing I remember about the first mile was just the sheer throng of runners. Winding past slower ones, giving way to faster ones, and more than anything, enjoying the spectacle. This was the first race that I have run that I would also call an "event". There was more to it than just a bunch of runners trying to brake their personal records. That hit home when we passed the priest throwing "Holy Water" on all of the runners!

At the end of the first mile I noted my first mile was 8:41. Far slower than I had hoped but also a lot better than it could have been considering the throng of people I was engulfed in. It is hard to say that the crowd thinned out as that is relative to other races I’ve run, but at least I could make my way around slower runners by this point. My second mile time of 7:44 was not blistering but fast enough to keep my sub 50 minute goal alive after the slow start.

As I moved into the third mile the coarse took a slight downhill trend and the spacing became even more generous. I decided that if I had any chance at 50 minutes, I had to make my move now, before the uphill portions closer to the end of the course. As I noted my third mile time of 7:15 I began to believe my goal was reachable, especially considering the running space I was now enjoying. Somewhere during my 4th mile I was given a Waffle House headband which I strapped on. I had skipped the first few water stations due to runner congestion and the sweat was really starting to pour down off of me. The headband helped, as did my first water station. My fourth mile time of 7:45 was a bit slower than I had hoped after the third mile but still acceptable.

Then I hit Cardiac Hill! In the fifth mile you run up a hill that has been lovingly named "Cardiac Hill" due to its proximity to a downtown hospital and due to the many heart attacks that a hill this large this far into the race causes. I was passing quite a few people up the hill and felt strong. I think this is due to the many hills in and around my neighborhood that I run on a daily basis. You can imagine my disappointment when at the end of the mile I noted an 8:46 split. How is it that I ran even slower than with that mass of people at the start line? With 1.2 miles to go I had just under 10 minutes to do it. I gave myself 2 minutes for the last .2 miles and knew I had to run sub 8 for the 6th mile if sub 50 was going to materialize.

That final mile is a series of ups and downs and I tried my best to push into each one. The heat and humidity were definitely taking their toll on me but my breathing was not overly labored. It quickly became so as I kept telling myself that if you are still breathing well, your not running hard enough! I passed the 6-mile mark with a 7:42 mile and 2:06 for the final .2 miles to make my goal. I knew I had it then and sprinted as hard as I could to the finish line. With a 1:52 for that last stretch I crossed the finish line in 49:46 for my official "Chip Time". Now the clock read 51:17, but that was my "Gun Time". The chip time represents the amount of time it takes to go from start to finish, netting out the wait I had as those ahead of me started the race.

From there we were funneled through the chip return lines, and then the T-shirt collection lines, and then the try my new sports drink lines, then I finally followed the signs back to MARTA for the train ride back to my car. I will not even begin to describe how gross a commuter train packed with a couple thousand sweaty runners is. I’ll just say I was glad to get back to my car…

Final results, I came in 2218th out of 55,000 registered entrants. That is based on the "gun time" as they follow the rule of "first to cross the finish line". If you look at the results you will see several people ahead of me that have slower chip times but had the good fortune of starting earlier than me. I guess that is the value of moving up to 1A next year and then rudely elbowing my way to where I can grab an Ethiopian… As for my age and sex rank, they only do male/female and over/under 40. So, for the under 40 males, I came in 991st! Been there, got the T-shirt, unless something changes, I most likely will be doing it again next year.