AJC Peachtree Road Race: Big Moments From The Past 49 Years

Editor's Note: One of the nation's signature July 4 events will be held for the 50th time this year. The AJC Peachtree Road Race, the world's largest 10K, begins in Buckhead and ends in Midtown. To celebrate the race's 50th anniversary, Patch is proud to share the race's story and legacy through a special series of articles. Today, courtesy of the Atlanta Track Club, we present a timeline of the race itself.

• 1971- The first of the now famous Peachtree T-Shirts are handed out at the end of the race.
• 1976- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution becomes the title sponsor.
• 1978- Race finish is moved to Piedmont Park in front of the Bath House to accommodate the 12,500+ runners.
• 1980- Race is capped at 25,000 participants. The limit is set due to the congestion on the course where it entered the park.
• 1982- The Shepherd Center's Wheelchair Division is added. Since then the event has produced several world record-breaking performances by participants in the wheelchair division.
• 1985- Julia Emmons becomes the Executive Director of the Atlanta Track Club and the Director of the AJC Peachtree Road Race. She will remain the director for the next 22 Peachtrees. The AJC also comes back as title sponsor and will remain title sponsor through the present.
• 1987- First AJC Peachtree Junior is held.
• 1990- New race cap of 40,000 is announced.
• 1992- Race cap increases to 45,000 and race fills in nine days.
• 1995- Race cap increases to 50,000, and the first AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt Design Contest is held. Carle Wattenberg, III is the winning designer.
• 1998- Race cap increases to 55,000 participants.
• 1999- Race finish moves to 10th Street and Charles Allen Drive due to sewer construction inside the park. The finish will remain there for the next eight years.
• 2004- First overseas race is held in Baghdad.
• 2006- After 22 years, Julia Emmons directs her last AJC Peachtree Road Race and retires from the Atlanta Track Club.
• 2007- Tracey Russell takes over for Emmons as Executive Director of the Atlanta Track Club and directs her first AJC Peachtree Road Race. First USA Men's 10 km Championship is held in conjunction with the race.
• 2008- Due to the drought, race cannot finish in Piedmont Park and is successfully moved to Juniper Street and Ponce de Leon Ave.
• 2009- For the first time every participant is electronically timed and race finish returns to 10th Street.
• 2010- Start waves are assigned by performance, expanding from nine time groups to 20 start waves. An official number transfer system is also implemented.
• 2011- Race cap increases to 60,000. Online lottery system is implemented for registration.
• 2014- First Kilometer Kids Charity Chase is held at the AJC Peachtree Road Race.
• 2015- The Peachtree Cup team competition is introduced, featuring Team USA, Team Africa, Team Asia and Team Europe.
• 2016- A 5K split time is offered for all participants for the first time.

More Race Coverage

• Atlanta July 4 Fireworks Show Is SE's Largest; Road Race Info
• Voting Underway For AJC Peachtree Road Race T-Shirt Design