Online Registration for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race Opens Sunday, March 21,

Changes Announced for the AJC Peachtree Road Race Start Assignment Process and Race Expo
Atlanta, January 28, 2010 – The Atlanta Track Club, organizer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, announced that online registration for the 41st running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race will open at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 21, 2010 at ajc.com/peachtree.  The traditional paper application will run in the AJC on Sunday, March 28, 2010, giving AJC Peachtree Road Race participants multiple options to register for the 2010 event. 

As in 2009, the first 45,000 out of a total of 55,000 entries will be accepted through online registration.  Those unable to secure one of the first 45,000 entries or who prefer mailing in their payment with a registration form can fill out the paper application that will run in the March 28 edition of the AJC.  The event’s remaining 10,000 slots will be selected at random from all paper applications received by mail and postmarked by April 5, 2010. 

“We are excited to once again be able to offer online registration as an option for AJC Peachtree Road Race participants,” stated Tracey Russell, Executive Director of the Atlanta Track Club.  “Online registration allows event participants to instantly know that they will be a part of the AJC Peachtree Road Race.”

In a continued effort to enhance the AJC Peachtree Road Race experience for participants, several changes are in store for the 2010 event.  For the first time, start assignments for the AJC Peachtree Road Race will be performance-based instead of randomly assigned as in past years, and the number of start waves will nearly double allowing for smaller waves and better distribution of participants.  Assigning start positions based on performance and increasing the number of start waves will help ease congestion at the start line as well as along the course.  Whether registering online or through the application in the AJC, entrants will have the option to submit their net finish time (“chip time”) from the AJC Peachtree Road Race 2009 or any other race - 5K, 8K/5M, 10K, 15K, 10M or 13.1M distance – run on a USA Track and Field (USATF) certified course on or after March 1, 2008.  A full listing of start wave time standards can be found at atlantatrackclub.org/peachtree.

Also new for 2010, the AJC Peachtree Road Race’s companion event, the Peachtree Health and Fitness Expo makes the move to downtown Atlanta to Building 2 of the AmericasMart©.  With over 55,000 square feet of space, the new expo will showcase exhibitors from all areas of the health and fitness industry - from gear and apparel to nutrition and multi-sport events.  The new and improved Peachtree Health and Fitness Expo offers up another opportunity for participants and their families to make the most out of this Fourth of July tradition.

The 2010 Peachtree Health and Fitness Expo will also feature number pick-up for event participants for the first time ever, helping to alleviate worries of race numbers getting lost in the mail or not arriving on time.  During registration, participants wishing to have their race numbers mailed to them may do so for a $5 fee to cover the cost of postage and handling.
“The AJC Peachtree Road Race is a wonderful Atlanta tradition, and we always strive to find ways to improve the event for participants and the Atlanta community,” commented Russell.  “The changes to the start assignment process, creating a bigger and better expo and adding race number pickup at the expo are all examples of how we are enhancing the overall AJC Peachtree Road Race experience.”

The Peachtree Health and Fitness Expo is free of charge and open to the public on Friday, July 2 from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 3 from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.  The 41st running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race will take place on Sunday, July 4, 2010. 

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About The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race is a 10K event that takes place every Fourth of July in Atlanta, Georgia. The first Peachtree was held in 1970 and featured 110 runners.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has been title sponsor of the event since the late 1970s.  The AJC Peachtree Road Race is now the largest running event in the United States with 55,000 participants.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race is perhaps most famous for the coveted AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt, which is handed out to all the event finishers.  For more information on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race visit atlantatrackclub.org.

About the Atlanta Track Club
The Atlanta Track Club is a non-profit organization established to inspire and engage the community to achieve health and fitness through running. With close to 9,000 members, the ATC is the second largest running organization in the United States. In addition to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race – the largest running event in the US – and the Atlanta Half Marathon, the Atlanta Track Club directs more than 25 running events per year.  For more information on the Atlanta Track Club, please visit atlantatrackclub.org.

About The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the leading source — both in print and online — of news, information and advertising for metropolitan Atlanta, reaching a total print and online audience of nearly 2.2 million people each week. Every month, nearly 2.3 million unique visitors access the newspaper’s Web sites. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is part of Cox Media Group, a publishing, digital media and broadcasting subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.

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