Win a Free Spot at the Peachtree Road Race
Atlanta has been my home for nearly a decade, but it has been part of my life since childhood. Long before I moved to the peach state after college, my family and I traveled from Florida to Atlanta every Fourth of July to visit our dear family friends who live near the city. Inevitably, the weekend always centered around the Peachtree Road Race (and how fast my dad was going to run each year). The AJC Peachtree Road Race, organized by the Atlanta Track Club, is the largest 10K in the world that’s held every July 4th and attracts 60,000 runners. It’s easily one of the greatest running traditions that exists, and it’s one of the many experiences that inspired me to become a runner.
Runners aren’t allowed to participate until age 13, so I patiently waited as a spectator for many years.
When I was old enough, I finally got the badge of honor to run in the Peachtree Road Race with the adults and wear the coveted cotton finisher’s T-shirt at the Fourth of July festivities after the race.
Win Your Spot at the 2015 Peachtree Road Race This July 4
With the news this week that I’m leaving Atlanta to move back to Tampa, I’ve been reflecting on the many ways the Atlanta running community has impacted my life. It all started with the Peachtree Road Race.
To honor this special race, I’m giving away one coveted spot to the sold-out Peachtree Road Race this week, which has an online lottery system to enter that has already closed.
Ready to win? Here’s how …
Post a comment below telling me about a moment that inspired you to become a runner. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter and track all your entries (mandatory). Simply log in with your Facebook account or email. Once you’ve left your comment, check it off in the box below to unlock additional options to enter, such as sharing the sweepstakes on social media, following the Atlanta Track Club and me on social media and more.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This sweepstakes is open until 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, April 19. The winner will be chosen on Monday, April 20, 2015.
Good luck, and happy running! Thank you Atlanta Track Club and the Atlanta running community for inspiring me to run!
No purchase is necessary to win. Must be 18 or older to enter. The sweepstakes is open from Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 5 a.m. Eastern time until Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. To enter, you must leave a comment at below sharing a moment or experience that inspired you to become a runner. To be eligible to win, you must submit your entries through the Rafflecopter widget featured on this page. To do so, you will need to provide your email address or log in with your Facebook information. One winner will be chosen at random and will receive one entry into the Peachtree Road Race, with a total retail value estimated at $35. The prize does not include any additional expenses associated with attending the race, such as travel costs or lodging expenses. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. The winner will be selected on Monday, April 20, 2015, and will be contacted via email. Winners will have 2 days from the time and date of the email sent to claim their prize. rUnladylike, LLC, has the right to obtain the winner’s name through the Rafflecopter sweepstakes widget and via runladylike.com. The winner agrees to allow rUnladylike, LLC, to share the winner’s name. The prize will be emailed to the winner from Jesica D’Avanza of rUnladylike, LLC. The winner and all sweepstakes entrants hold rUnladylike, LLC, and the Atlanta Track Club harmless in the event that the prize or sweepstakes in some way negatively impacts the winner, and the winner agrees to use the prizes at his or her own risk. This sweepstakes is hosted by rUnladylike, LLC, of Georgia, who can be contacted at runladylike@gmail.com. Void where prohibited by law.
Share a moment or experience that inspired you to become a runner (mandatory to be eligible to win).
Comments
What I would not give to win this entry!!! The moment I crossed the finish line of my first 10k, I knew I was hooked to running–nothing like that high!!!
I absolutely love all these pictures (bad hair and all!) and that this race has been such a great tradition for you and your family over the years. I so wish I could just fly down there and do it this summer!!! Very, very cool my friend.
I would love to run it! Some friends at my gym invited me to train for the Heart and Sole 8k here and I started running from there!
I love your story! What a great picture of you and your Dad running your first Peachtree. That must have been so exciting to finally get to run the race! I imagine it must be hard to leave a place you’ve called home for so long, but I’m sure exciting adventures await in Tampa. I had a great run when I visited Tampa a couple of years ago, and I hear the Gasparilla race is awesome!
My Dad was a serious runner. When I was 4 or 5 I won a 1k race that he signed me up for and I was ridiculously excited about it. Only race I’ve ever won!
I went through a rough time in grad school, and I remember seeing ads for the Broad Street Run in Philly and knowing that some of my friends were running it. I decided to take control of that one piece of my life and sign up and train for it. I did all of my training on a treadmill, so running 10 miles outside on race day was a little shocking :), but I was hooked and have been running ever since!
I love this post! The Peachtree holds such a special place in my heart! It was my first race. My dad was nice enough to stick with me for the whole race, and we exchanged high-fives after passing each mile marker.
I have run off and on since college, I decided to get serious and add distance and structured training when my husband finished his 3rd half. I figured running the race was better than waiting for him at the finish line!
I lost my mother to breast cancer when I was 16-years-old after she battled the disease for 7 years. I hadn’t been serious about running until her passing. I will never forget dusting off the old treadmill at home and taking my first steps on it as a way to pass the time to cope with her death. Little did I know that my daily runs on the treadmill to sweat out my grief would become a passion. I signed-up to run my first marathon with my brother shortly afterward. Our weekly running meet-ups became a positive way for us to connect and reminisce about the fun times we shared with my mother. Looking back, I realize that we used running to help us cope with this loss. I ran the 2009 Walt Disney World Marathon with my brother by my side every step of the way, never looking back, always moving forward. To this day, I have run 29 marathons, and in each race I know that my mother is the angel on my shoulder giving me the strength I need to push through each mile.
I decided to start running in grad school as a way to take care of myself, let go of stress, and explore the area. 🙂 I have wanted to run the Peachtree race since I moved down here to ATL!
I ran a little here and there and in 1978 I moved to Atlanta (Tucker actually) and a budy said let run teh Peachtree…I said that what? How long? NO! Then in 1979, 1980, 1981 on July 4th I ran my 6 mile in heat, oh so hot, in poor times. Now that I am a lot more proficient I’d love to run ‘Hospital Hill’ in a strong fashion. Go full cycle.
I have attempted to run many times for weeks at a time, but never really “got it”. The whole running “thing”… what is this magical, mysterious, elusive runner’s high? Well. March 26, 2015 I think I found out. I was out for another run. I think my 10th or 11th in a new series of trying to become a runner when it happened. I ended up running a little over 6 miles in around 60 minutes. I didn’t need to stop to walk, even uphill, my breath was controlled and everything felt great. i finished and still felt great. The rest of that day contained no residual pain in any part of my body. My “ah-ha” moment came toward the end of that run as I realized that I had run for an hour without needing, much less wanting to stop. I now have a real desire to repeat that feeling, so I run to find it again.