Gather 'round, children!

It's story time!

I’ve been planning this post for a while, I just never really got around to it. I’ve had it typed up, but only just found all the pictures and got them scanned (I hope my dad doesn’t mind that I’m posting these for all of the like 5 people who will probably see this – Hi Daddy!!)

Running the Peachtree Road Race has been on my life goals list since I first started thinking about such a list. This year, I’ve finally decided to bite the bullet and do it.

I can’t even picture my life without the Peachtree in it. My dad’s been running it since 1990, shortly after I was born. When I was young, I would stay at my grandparents’ place the night before, as they live right off the course. We would go down and cheer on all of the runners, admiring the huge variety of runners and costumes. My dad would always stop by, and we would give him some extra water, pour a little on his head, and take a quick picture before he’d be off on his way.

My dad in 1997 taking a water break with us

After the race one year with my grandma, I'm guessing around 2001.

As I was growing up, my dad was an avid runner. He’d be in races around Atlanta almost every other weekend. He has a huge collection of hundreds of race shirts from over the years, and I would often wear an Atlanta Track Club shirt as pajamas.

As a result, I started taking after him and running in some races as well. I was the girl’s winner for the 1-mile Springville Sprint, and I earned my only athletic award to this day – although it’s not as impressive a feat once you hear that there were only 5 kids, and I only beat one other girl. In that same event, my dad won an award for his division, and as a result, some really cute pictures were taken. I also set my personal record for a mile that day – 7:48, a time I am now aiming to beat, almost 15 years later.

Aren't we so cute?

My dad would also come down every year for an annual 5K run in Jacksonville called the Shamrock Run. I would train through my elementary school, although it still took me almost 45 minutes to finish the race.

Aren't those glasses sexy??

I also did the Peachtree Jr. one year, a small version of the race for kids 12 and under, I think only a 3K. It was my first true taste of the Peachtree, but as it turns out, just a snippet of what was to come.

I'm guessing still 1997 or 1998, based on that snazzy haircut.

My hobby of running dissipated some over time, but my desire to run the Peachtree was always there. In 2006, I had my number to run with my dad, my friend Daniel, and his mom. But then I got accepted to a summer Pre-College program, where I would be in Pennsylvania for July 4. I was so close, but it wouldn’t be the last opportunity.

In 2010, my friend Jared and I decided to volunteer for the race. We were in T-shirt distribution and had a blast, despite being in downtown Atlanta and walking to Piedmont Park before it was even light outside. My dad came through my line, and I was able to draw a heart on his race number, so he would always remember the year that I handed him his prized shirt. I also got a shirt of my own – a volunteer shirt that’s even harder to get than the actual race shirt, because there’s only about 3000 of them each year.

We were super tired, but had a blast!

Over time, we’ve developed another small tradition – going to eat lunch at IHOP after the race. It started after we couldn’t find much else open on the holiday, and they had a special of Red, White and Blueberry Pancakes. We’ve been going to IHOP every year since, with each of us wearing any Peachtree shirt we may have earned. Others have tried to protest the tradition, saying we should go to lunch elsewhere, but we refuse. It wouldn’t be a post-Peachtree lunch without IHOP.

Last year, my dad ran his 20^th and final Peachtree, an impressive streak. But this year, I’m going to literally follow in his footsteps and run it for myself. I’ve dedicated myself to getting fit, becoming a better runner, and getting that shirt with my friends by my side. I don’t care about my time, or what place I finish it. I just want to keep my dad’s legacy going and start a legacy of my own.


Lo and behold, I got my number in the mail today. It's really starting to feel real. Like, really real. 

It even has my name on it! Love it.

I haven't even done the Peachtree yet, but I'm already looking at the next race. Some friends and I are talking about doing the Atlanta Marathon Relay in October. I want to do a half marathon at some point, and I plan to make it one of the ones at Disney. And although it's only a 5K, I want to do the Warrior Dash one year.

Bring it on.