At Thursday night's Town Hall, Atlanta Track Club announced registration dates and lottery details for the 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race and unveiled next year's full event calendar.
After a group run, Club members and supporters gathered in SweetWater Brewing's "Reel Room" for the annual get-together and briefing.
Kicking off the evening with new information about the Peachtree, Natalie Cabanas, director of marketing and communications, announced that registration for the world's largest 10K will launch April 1 and end April 30. Atlanta Track Club members will again receive guaranteed entry with guaranteed start wave placement in A-M, while non-members will be entered into the lottery, a return to tradition.
The Club also revealed a new spin on its flagship Fourth of July event: the AJC Polar Opposite Peachtree Road Race.
Set for January 4, 2025, the Polar Opposite Peachtree will follow the same course as the Peachtree, but backwards, starting at Piedmont Park and finishing at Lenox Mall. The news was greeted by cheers and whoops of delight from the crowd of almost 100.
"We wholeheartedly believe this is going to be magical," said Cabanas. "There's no left on 10th, you'll take a right. And there's no going up Cardiac Hill; you guys are going to down it."
Registration will open on November 1, 2024, and remain open until November 15 or until sell-out. Participants can receive guaranteed entry into the 2025 AJC Peachtree Road Race by registering for the "Peachtree Bundle," including the Polar Opposite Peachtree and the AJC Peachtree Road Race, regardless of whether they are Atlanta Track Club members. This offer will only be available through the Polar Opposite Peachtree registration.
Also new on the 2025 calendar will be the Atlanta Track Club Ultra, a new concept in the Club's portfolio. Announced by Enrique Tomas, recently named Director of Events after starting as an intern 10 years ago, the Ultra will coincide with the Wingfoot XC Classic in September and compete on the same course thousands of middle and high school runners will race earlier that day. Details will be forthcoming.
"We are committed to hosting an event longer than the marathon for the folks looking to challenge themselves, said Tomas. Changes to existing events include the Northside Hospital Atlanta Women's 5K transitioning to a 4 Miler, and the Decatur DeKalb 4-Miler moving to a 5K.
The full 2025 event calendar can be found below.
Attendees also learned that Atlanta Track Club plans to host the USATF Half Marathon Championships as part of the 2025 Public Atlanta Marathon Weekend, which will return to the Home Depot Backyard and take place March 1-2. The USATF race will serve as a qualifier for the 2025 World Road Running Championships.
Eric Heintz, director of performance programming, concluded the presentation by introducing 11 of the 15 members of the Atlanta Track Club Elite team and providing updates on Atlanta Track Club's In-Training and youth programs.
"We're bringing running to the kids," said Heintz. "There are now over 140 sites and 6,000 participants in Kilometer Kids, a 20% growth from 2023, and this year's Youth Teams have seen the largest participation rate in the Club's history. We are especially proud of this growth."
UPDATE: This article has been revised to provide additional information regarding Polar Opposite Peachtree registration.