Hello, Peachtree racers.
We’re starting with big news: After almost a half-century, the annual Peachtree Road Race is getting a new title sponsor and new name.
Change can be daunting, even when we know it’s inevitable, but I’m here to breakdown what this means for our Peachtree community. Aside from noting a meaningful step into a new era, this week we’re also featuring an inspirational athlete spotlight, important Atlanta Track Club updates and invaluable training tips.
Whether you’re a Peachtree pro or first-timer (like me), this newsletter is for you. Let’s figure it out together one mile, one month, one sweaty step at a time.
AT THE START LINE
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Northside Hospital is taking over this year as the naming rights partner of the Peachtree, per an announcement Feb. 10 by the ATC.
After 49 years as title sponsor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will continue on as the race’s official media partner. With the sponsorship change comes a new name for this year’s race: the Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race.
- For more than a decade, Northside has partnered with the track club and Peachtree, including its sponsorship of the Northside Hospital Atlanta Women’s 4 Miler held Mother’s Day weekend.
- Its title partnership will also extend to the track club’s other Peachtree-branded events, the Peachtree Junior and the Polar Opposite Peachtree, held in January.
- Participants will be able to register for the race on Northside Hospital’s website, according to ATC, and find health tips from hospital physicians along with other race-related information.
As official media partner, the AJC is proud to continue shining a light on the people and stories that have made this Fourth of July tradition a defining part of our city for generations.
Registration for the 2026 Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race opens April 1.
ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT: PEACHTREE VETERAN LAURA JONES
Credit: Courtesy of Laura Jones
Credit: Courtesy of Laura Jones
The passing of the Peachtree title sponsorship torch brings to mind another iconic event that begins with a similar ritual: the Olympics. This year’s Winter Games have been on nonstop while I train, and watching so many extraordinary athletes do the impossible is wildly motivating. If Elana Meyers Taylor — Douglasville resident, prolific Olympian and mom of two — can win gold in women’s monobob at 41, I can manage one more lap on my favorite trail.
Another source of inspiration for me right now is an email I recently received from longtime Peachtree runner Laura Jones.
- “A little over a year ago, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — a journey that began when my entire left side went completely numb during the 2018 Peachtree Road Race,” Jones wrote. She was determined to finish, saying she thought if she was about to end up in the hospital, “someone would have to peel me off the ground and put me on a stretcher and carry me there, because I wasn’t going to stop moving as long as I still could.”
- In June 2024, Jones’ chiropractor referred her to an orthopedic spine specialist who recognized the MS-related foot drop (also know as drop foot) she was experiencing as she trained.
- A few months later, after a series of tests to rule out stroke, ALS and cancer, Jones was officially diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS. “I was praying for a stroke,” Jones said. “That seemed to be the one diagnosis from which I might fully recover.”
- Jones started using a functional electrical stimulator, which helps her walk independently by sending electronic impulses — like mini shocks — to her foot to signal it’s time to take a step.
- Last year, Jones was back at the Peachtree. “It was beyond brutal. It was about the 17th or 18th time I’d participated, and it was the first time I ever ended up in the med tent,” she said. “My husband and daughter helped me across the finish line because I was about to go down. I decided right then and there that my training for Peachtree 2026 had just begun.”
How’s that for motivation? Jones closed her email with a reminder to balance workouts with self-care and a note of encouragement: “No matter what, just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”
ROUTES WE LOVE
Credit: Courtesy of Laura Jones
Credit: Courtesy of Laura Jones
Jones also shared that one of her go‑to routes is at Stone Mountain Park. “The five-mile loop around the mountain is my favorite training spot for the Peachtree, and I enjoy the walk-up trail as well.”
She added, “I live in Gwinnett, and there are some fabulous parks with walking and running trails.”
Last month, I caught up with the AJC’s Ellen Rolfes, who moved to Atlanta last fall. So far, she said her go-to route is the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail.
Do you have a route you love? Send me an email at nicole.bennett@ajc.com, and I’ll include it in next month’s newsletter.
LIFE-SAVING TRAINING TIPS
February is American Heart Month, and few athletes understand the importance of heart health like runners. Fitness trackers — which experts stress should be used for context not as a hard truth about our overall health — are becoming more advanced every day.
And although wearable health tech gives us access to countless metrics, pairing that data with real‑world training for cardiac emergencies is invaluable.
⛑️ According to the American Red Cross, the vast majority of people who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest don’t survive.
⛑️ A bystander can mean better odds. According to the American Red Cross, 37.5% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests were witnessed by a bystander in 2024.
⛑️ Bystanders can dramatically increase a person’s odds of survival by immediately performing CPR, but those odds decrease by around 10% for every minute the individual doesn’t receive that care.
❤️ Find a step-by-step hands‑only CPR guide here, along with a list of CPR classes near you
KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING
👟 Here are some Atlanta Track Club events to add to your calendar:
- Feb. 28-March 1: Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend (includes the Publix Atlanta Kids Marathon)
- March 21: Hawks Fast Break 5K presented by Sharecare
- March 29: Members 10K
More info and sign-up links here
👟 Other local meetups to check out:
- Beltline Run/Walk Club: Super easy. Find a weekly meetup that works for you and show up.
- Community group runs around the city: These events are hosted by organizations outside Atlanta Track Club, and there’s bound to be an event near you.
AN ARTISTIC DETOUR
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
This year’s Peachtree Road Race T-shirt contest might be closed for design submissions, but we’ll still need your artistic eye in the weeks ahead.
👕 The top three designs will win a total of $8,700, with first place earning $5,700 — in honor of the 57th running of the race.
👕 The creators behind the second and third place designs will take home $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.
👕 Once the judges have selected the finalists, the public will get its chance to weigh in. From March 9 to April 10, the public can vote for the final design on the AJC App.
👕 The winning design stays under wraps until the first runner crosses the finish line.
The Peachtree finisher's shirt is more than fabric and ink, it's a memory you wear and a story you keep.
A MUSICAL COOLDOWN
One thing that gets me through the toughest workouts: a great playlist. Jones, our featured athlete this month, shared a few of her go-to running songs — “Old School Rules” by Danger Doom and Talib Kweli, Muse’s “Starlight” and Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” (also one of my favorites). 🎵
Between workouts, I hope you’re making space for relaxation — including my personal favorite cool‑down, a good afternoon nap. As we head into the Peachtree’s next chapter together, here’s to embracing change and the road ahead.
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