Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend Has a New Look
ATLANTA — Feb. 20, 2024 —On Friday, February 23, Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend will kick off a three-day celebration of health, wellness, fitness and fun with a new start/finish and expo location at The Home Depot Backyard as well as several first-ever options for its almost-10,000 runners and walkers, Atlanta Track Club announced today.
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," said CEO Rich Kenah. "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 third-consecutive year, will feature many of the nation's best runners ages 40 and older vying for both overall and age-group awards.
Among the top athletes expected is April Lund, the 2023 World Masters Athletics Cross Country gold medalist in the 40-44 age group 2023 World Masters Athletics Half Marathon Champion. The North Dakota resident is a heavy favorite in the 5K, and then plans to double back on Sunday hoping to run a fast half marathon.
On Sunday, among the competitors in the half marathon will be 242 push-assist participants representing the Kyle Pease Foundation, established in Atlanta in 2011 to improve the lives of people with disabilities through sport.
"With the new relay and chance to run or walk the 2nd Half Marathon, Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend is offering more options than ever to get involved," said Rich Kenah, CEO. "Along with the 5K and kids' races on Saturday, there truly is a distance for everyone of all ages and abilities."
