ATLANTA — The start of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race is just hours away.
Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach got a closer look at the final preparations along the course for Thursday’s July 4 tradition.
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“You can feel the excitement in the air,” said Lenox Square Area Director of Marketing Lindsey Jones. “Waves all the way past Phipps and Wieuca…you’ll see the waves come through, then we actually start right here at the historic Lenox Square sign.”
On Wednesday, Gehlbach saw organizers and volunteers practice lifting a giant American flag from a crane to hang over Peachtree and wheeling in the official start line structures in the parking lot.
It’s expected that around 50,000 runners will participate, making it the largest race since the 50th running in 2019.
All are invited to cut through the mall parking lot and enjoy some entertainment at the Lenox Square main entrance and pick up some free swag.
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But once all the runners are off by 9 a.m., the cleanup is quick.
“After the race, it’s like it was never here. It’s amazing every year, but the team works really hard to make sure everything gets cleaned up and we’re ready to open at 10 a.m.,” Jones explained.
Runners have until the end of Wednesday to pick up their race packet and numbers at the Peachtree Health and Fitness Expo.
The expo is at the Georgia World Congress Center in the C-building off Northside Drive until 6 p.m. tonight.
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