1. History

2. Course

3. Previous event
    Course 

4. References

5. External links

The Atlanta Marathon (branded Publix Atlanta Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in Atlanta, Georgia. On the same day, a half marathon is also held, and some years also feature a 5K run.

History

The first race was held on March 25, 2007 under the original sponsor-branded name ING Georgia Marathon.^[2][3] The race was acquired by US Road Sports in 2008.^[4] In September 2010, it was announced that Publix would be the new title sponsor for the race.^[5] In January 2014, Life Time Fitness acquired the race and operated the race in 2014 and 2015.^[6][7]

On December 15, 2015, the race was acquired by Atlanta Track Club, who had previously operated the Atlanta Marathon until its final running in 2013.^[3] They have operated the race since 2016. For 2019, the race has been renamed the Publix Atlanta Marathon and the course has been changed.^[8]

In 2020, Atlanta will host the U.S. Olympic marathon trials for the 2020 Summer Olympics; the course will be a unique one from the Atlanta Marathon, but the events will be held in the same weekend.^[9]

Course

From 2007 to 2018, when the race was known as the Georgia Marathon, the marathon course would start and end in Atlanta but also go into the city of Decatur. When it was renamed the Atlanta Marathon for 2019, the course was redrawn to stay within Atlanta.

The 2019 course starts at ends at Centennial Olympic Park and, over {{convert|26|mi|385|yd|km}} of city roads, includes many landmarks, such as Georgia State University, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, Edgewood Avenue, Inman Park, Little Five Points, Virginia–Highland, Piedmont Park, Georgia Institute of Technology, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Morris Brown College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, 1996 Olympic rings, Georgia State Stadium, Grant Park and Zoo Atlanta, Cheney Stadium, Georgia State Capitol, and Oakland Cemetery.

Previous event

Before Atlanta Track Club acquired the race and renamed it to Atlanta Marathon, it had operated its own race under the Atlanta Marathon name between 1963 and 2013.

The first running of this previous event was in 1963 at the North Fulton Golf Course, making it the oldest in the Southeast. The following year, the Atlanta Track Club was formed, and has run the event every year until its cancellation in 2014. In 1966, Tim Singleton became director, and later founded the Peachtree Road Race. Fred Lebow ran in the marathon in the late 1960s, and later founded the New York City Marathon in 1970.

From 1981 to 2009, it was held on Thanksgiving and was believed to be the longest of several turkey trots held on Thanksgiving across the country. In 2010, the race was held off until the following year with a new date in October and with a new loop course.^[10] In its place, however, Atlanta Track Club has held the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon & 5K, the largest half marathon on the holiday in the country.^[11]

On May 1, 2014, it was announced that the Atlanta Marathon course would be suspended indefinitely; in its place, the event continues as the Atlanta 10 Miler and 5K, starting and ending at Atlantic Station since 2014.^[12]

Course

From 1964 until 1980, the race had its beginning, middle, and end at The Westminster Schools campus, twice running a loop up Nancy Creek Road.

Originally run on the weekend before Christmas, it was changed in the mid-1970s to be after the holiday. This was done in conjunction with the Peach Bowl, a bowl game held every year around New Year's Day, and it was renamed the Peach Bowl Marathon.

In 1981, the race was moved to downtown Atlanta, and the date changed to Thanksgiving in late November. This move doubled participation in the race, renamed back as the Atlanta Marathon. In 1981 and 1982, it ended in Decatur.

From 1983 to 1991, the marathon began in the suburban metro Atlanta town of Lithonia and going east through Stone Mountain, with the half-marathon beginning at the halfway point in Clarkston, and both ending in Atlanta's Piedmont Park after traversing Decatur, and the Atlanta neighborhoods of Inman Park and Virginia–Highland. This route was along the CSX railroad tracks, thus it was much less hilly than previous routes. On one occasion, the race was held for a train; on another, the train was held for the race.{{cn|date=December 2018}}

From 1992 to 1996, it began and ended near Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, running north on Piedmont Road (Georgia 237) to Peachtree Street, where it headed north and then back south. The start of the half-marathon was near the Chamblee MARTA station.

From 1997 to 2009, about 90% was run along the same course used for the 1996 Summer Olympics, ending near Turner Field (built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in the A-FC stadium parking lot). The final loop course went through many major sites within Atlanta, including the Olympic rings.

References

External links

• Official web site

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