Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend kicks off today, Feb. 23, with a three-day celebration with some changes in store for the annual running event.
There’s a new start/finish and expo location at The Home Depot Backyard and other new options for the almost-10,000 runners and walkers, according to a press release from the Atlanta Track Club.
Events include the Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend Expo on Friday and Saturday; Publix Atlanta 5K, USATF Masters 5 km Championships and Publix Atlanta Kids Marathon on Saturday; and the Publix Atlanta Marathon, Marathon Relay and Half Marathon on Sunday.
Although the marathon is sold out, entries are still available for the 5K, half marathon and kids’ races. The expo, which features vendors, guest speakers and a chance to Test and Try adidas shoes, is free and open to the public. Information is available here.
New this year, participants in the half marathon will be able to choose whether to run the first or second half of the marathon course, and those in the marathon will have the option of tackling the course as a two-person relay team.
“Four years ago on this weekend, Atlanta Track Club hosted the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon, which brought a new level of excitement to the city,”CEO Rich Kenah said in a press release. “It’s an Olympic year again, and we expect Atlantans to be out in force once again to show why we’re known as Running City USA.”
Although the courses will remain largely the same as 2023 except for slight adjustments for the short move from the previous start/finish at Centennial Olympic Park, participants in the marathon will now pass the recently unveiled Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. statue on MLK Drive SW. They will also run fewer turns in the later miles of the race and a new section through the north end of Grant Park.
On Saturday, the USATF Masters 5 km Championships, being contested in conjunction with the Publix Atlanta 5K for the…
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