Peachtree Road Race Ends in Muddy Mess
Denis O'Hayer / WABE News
Mosinet Geremew of Ethiopia and Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya were the top male and female finishers in Thursday’s Peachtree Road Race, with times of 28:07 and 32:09 respectively.
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Whether running, jogging or walking across the finish line, volunteer Robert Strong made sure to throw some words of encouragement to streams of the other 59,998 participants.
“Sometimes you’re so tired and worn out, and then like ‘Boom!’ Someone sees that smile—it picks them up,” Strong said.
An ecstatic Lori Wassilchak of Cumming needed no pick-me-up. That’s because this year, she finished.
“Last year I tripped before the race even started,” she said. “I tripped up a curb and was bleeding.”
A forecast of heavy rain promised runners a soggy course. Not about to let wet sneakers get in the way, Wassilchak got creative.
“I just duct taped up my sneakers. It thought I was going to need it because of the rain, but obviously I need it because of the mud.”
Mud. Lots and lots of mud.
After crossing the mostly-dry finish line, runners funneled into a downright swampish Piedmont Park. Wassilchak’s duct-taped sneakers may be the only ones that survived.
Security was another concern.
The name of the city on Emmett Bell’s sweat-soaked T-shirt explained why.
“I wore it in remembrance of what happened to the people in Boston during the Boston Marathon,” Bell said.
Bell noticed extra police along the route. But what he and most runners didn’t notice was the massive behind the scenes operation involving local, state and federal agencies.
According to an Atlanta Police Dept. spokesman, the only time police intervened was when two runners broke into a fight.
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