2026 Polar Opposite Peachtree Registration Details Announced at Town Hall

Atlanta Track Club's Town Hall at SweetWater Brewery on Thursday night brought exciting announcements for the 2025 season, including two major highlights: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Polar Opposite Peachtree Road Race will return in 2026, and the USATF Half Marathon Championship will feature Olympians and record holders during Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend.

Following a group run as part of the weekly Beltline Run Club, nearly 100 attendees gathered at SweetWater Brewery for updates on the Club. Da'Rel Patterson, newly elected Board Chair, began the evening by introducing the newest Atlanta Track Club Board member, Aprille Moore. Rich Kenah followed with a "State of the Club" update.

"2024 was a very successful year after two challenging years of shortfalls," Kenah said. "Our collaborations are growing with the community and our technology partners, and we're very pleased with our business results from the past year."

Kenah also revealed details on the 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Polar Opposite Peachtree Road Race which will take place on January 3, 2026. Early race registration will open exclusively to Atlanta Track Club members for 12 hours on February 6, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. After that, general registration will open on July 4, 2025, until capacity is reached. No final capacity number has yet been announced.

"We are going to grow the Polar Opposite Peachtree, but we are going to be very considerate and careful on how we do so," Kenah said. "That number will be larger than 5,000, but we need to work with the city to ensure they are comfortable with the registration number we give them, and we will reevaluate the capacity after seeing how many members register in February."

Kendyl Moss, President of the Atlanta Track Club Foundation, announced the 2025 Peachtree with a Purpose Official Charity Partner Program application. Ten 501(c)(3) organizations will be selected to fundraise for their philanthropic initiatives. Selected organizations will receive also guaranteed entries into the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. Applications are now open here.

Natalie Cabañas, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Club, followed with updates on the 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, specifically, the T-shirt design contest which opened for submissions last Wednesday and will close on February 26.

Enrique Tomas, Director of Events, then shared the Publix Atlanta Kids Marathon on March 1, will now be free and open to the public thanks to Coca-Cola UNITED's support. With this development, all major Atlanta Track Club youth events in the past year have been free with the help of partnerships, and more children have been immersed in the sport of running without a cost barrier.

Wrapping up the presentation, Eric Heintz, Director of High Performance, outlined the USATF Half Marathon Championships to take place on March 2 at the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon.

Among those who have already registered include four Olympians, one American record holder, eight women and seven men from the top 20 at the U.S. Olympic Trials - Marathon to create an expansive and still-growing field. The top three men and women in the half marathon will represent Team USA at the 2025 World Road Running Championships this September.

"With this expansive field, we can guarantee that zero people will forget this race," Heintz said.

Field announcements, broadcast details and more are to be announced on Atlanta Track Club's social media accounts and in Wingfoot Magazine in coming weeks.