Upcoming Races! Cupcakes, Shamrocks and the Peachtree Road Race...

In the past week, I bumped into these virtual races. In case you have not seen them already, definitely check them out. The distances vary from a 7k to a marathon so there is a little something for everyone. I missed the virtual 5k put on by Detroit Runner since my blog reading was so far behind but now we are up to date and back online!




Cupcake Marathon
March 14th through the 26th
Half Marathon or Marathon (distances can be spread over several days)
Register at Cook Train Eat Race


Shake Your Shamrock Run
March 17th through the 20th
7k or 13k
Register at Running Bucket

If you prefer to being able to look your competition in the eye and run sweaty elbow to sweaty elbow to the finish then maybe the world’s largest 10k is your style. OK, Vancouver took the title from us in 2008 but the race is still quite the event with 60,000 runners. The Peachtree Road Race got its start in 1970 and is still going strong.

This year they increased capacity from 55,000 to 60,000 runners and changed the registration process to a lottery system. Back in the day, the entry forms were published in the Sunday paper so you had to make sure you got the paper early and dropped your registration in the mail the same day if you wanted to get in. In the last couple of years, race registration went online. Registration will be open from March 15th through March 24th.

It will be interesting to see if the lottery changes the feeling about the race. Granted, in the past, you never knew if you were in until you got confirmation in the mail but generally you knew if you mailed your form the same day you would most likely get in. I know a lot of families that run the race together as a tradition. How sad would that be if one family member doesn’t get in? Change is never easy and there are pros and cons to each registration method. In the end, if you REALLY wanted to run the race, you could join the track club and get guaranteed entry. I suppose you could think of it in the same way as the registration for the NYC Marathon but for a much shorter race. I cannot imagine trying to manage a race of this scale and the Atlanta Track Club does a fantastic job each and every year. From keeping the t-shirt design a secret until you pick it up at the finish to the thousands of volunteers and spectators lining every inch of the course, it is nothing but fun!

As an Atlanta Track Club member, I was given advance registration so I am already registered and ready to go! This will be my 5th year running the Peachtree Road Race and my Dad has always run it with me which is a nice tradition. I believe this is his 30th or 31st year running. In a race of 60,000 runners it is always interesting trying to locate each other after the race. Sometimes it is easier than others. Last year, the instructions were to “meet by the food”. L.O.L. The food area is practically an entire city park. As you can imagine with thousands of runners filing by it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are always more than a few anxious minutes waiting and looking but we always manage to locate each other.

If you are thinking about a trip to Atlanta, this is one race not to miss. You can register HERE beginning March 15th. Good luck!