Thousands run Peachtree Road Race in the rain
Jul 4, 2013, 6:09 PM
ATLANTA (AP) – A steady drizzle on the Fourth of July helped thousands of runners keep cool for an unusually soggy Peachtree Road Race.
Up to 60,000 runners hit the streets of Atlanta, with thousands more cheering them on from the sidelines during the 10K race, an Independence Day tradition that’s billed as the largest road race in the U.S.
Peachtree participants haven’t seen rain too often in the event’s 44-year history. Thursday marked the first time the race was run in the rain since 1994, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported (
http://bit.ly/17MWix2).
Some runners, including Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, found the weather refreshing.
“It ended up being a perfect day to run,” Reed told WXIA-TV (
http://on.11alive.com/114GKEf) after crossing the finish line soaked with both perspiration and precipitation.
Mosinet Geremew of Ethiopia was the men’s winner, finishing the 6.2-mile course in 28:04. The women’s division winner was Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya with a time of 32:07.
The race began under yellow-flag conditions warning runners to use caution because of the wet weather.
Extra police officers and surveillance cameras also were placed along the route to beef up security just a few months after the Boston Marathon bombing. Reed said the city was determined to hold the road race and make sure participants were as safe as possible.
“The most important thing we could have done to show respect for the folks in Boston was to carry on and have our race,” Reed said.
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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
http://www.ajc.com
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
