Official 50th Peachtree Road Race Thread

Otq dreamer wrote:

Anyone know if Kevin Castille is running?

Kevin is going after the master marathon record Saturday at midnight into Sunday, at the Hotter Than Hell Marathon.

Koneko wrote:

54t54 wrote:

How is he his brother if they were born 5 months apart?

That's the info their Italian agents submitted to the IAAF. Questioning any of this is "racist."

Who's going to turn in the most absurd age/drug cheat performances this year? Rhonex, Barega, or Tefera? It's gonna be close.

Tefera is apparently off the good stuff currently.

BergLaufer wrote:

BergLaufer wrote:

https://www.iaaf.org/records/all-time-toplists/road-running/10-kilometres/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=countries&region=usa&drop=regular&fiftyPercentRule=regular&page=1&bestResultsOnly=true&firstDay=1899-12-30&lastDay=2019-06-30

Sorry, didn't see you said US at first. The IAAF list only shows the top 5 US men of all time.

I'm sorry but I ran 28:04 (28:03.6 rounded up back then) to win the 1981 Peachtree Road Race which was an American Record at the time... breaking the 10K AR I had set at the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans back in March of same year. Why don't they count that? How did the IAAF get their info? Craig

Craig Virgin wrote:

BergLaufer wrote:

Sorry, didn't see you said US at first. The IAAF list only shows the top 5 US men of all time.

I'm sorry but I ran 28:04 (28:03.6 rounded up back then) to win the 1981 Peachtree Road Race which was an American Record at the time... breaking the 10K AR I had set at the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans back in March of same year. Why don't they count that? How did the IAAF get their info? Craig

I believe you can email the IAAF and they'll adjust the list.

Craig, Peachtree is point-to-point and net downhill.

And, no pace makers or $50K course record bonuses back then. I broke the course record that American Mike Roche had set in 1978 when I ran 28:30 in 1979 (40 years ago today) but no incentive bonus...and there was no official prize money back then, and I ran for free in 3 of those races at the request of my shoe company at the time, adidas. I did get a $5000 sponsor in 1980 with the Omni International shopping center/commercial building in downtown Atlanta.... and we did several race events there that week.

Oh, and when ATC was doing no commemorative items other than mugs.... I got the arrangement to print for 1 year only....some t-shirts and hand towels that we sold via direct mail after the 1980 race....that came from the 1979 AJC front page headline "25,000 Runners Chase Virgin Down Peachtree!" but it took us 2 years to sell them all and they were not a profitable sales item back then down in the bible belt... but it was good tongue in cheek humor! Probably would be better received today... maybe not for the right reasons. The ATC does their own commemorative item sales now, to much greater success! They just weren't that professional and commercial back then.

Anyway, Happy 50th Anniversary to the Peachtree Road Race. I just wish they had brought back in the former American champions at least. I was there for the 25th. Maybe next year? I congratulate the winners today in all the categories as well as anyone who ran a PR in the hot n humid conditions. Atlanta is a great place to celebrate Independence Day!

Of course, I know it's point to point.... with slight course changes now since back then.

But, is it really "net downhill"?

Mile 2 goes down.... but you ever raced miles 3-6 with all those uphills? At the toughest place in the race, if you are getting "low" in the gas tank? The heat, humidity, and hills... usually result in slower times than a flat course... except for rare occasions. (like today?)

Happy Independence Day, thank you for sharing your stories as a pro on here. I greatly appreciate them.

Craig Virgin wrote:

Of course, I know it's point to point.... with slight course changes now since back then.

But, is it really "net downhill"?

Mile 2 goes down.... but you ever raced miles 3-6 with all those uphills? At the toughest place in the race, if you are getting "low" in the gas tank? The heat, humidity, and hills... usually result in slower times than a flat course... except for rare occasions. (like today?)

Adjust it to include all courses(including point to point and downhill), even than the IAAF doesn't show your time.

Craig Virgin wrote:

Of course, I know it's point to point.... with slight course changes now since back then.

But, is it really "net downhill"?

Mile 2 goes down.... but you ever raced miles 3-6 with all those uphills? At the toughest place in the race, if you are getting "low" in the gas tank? The heat, humidity, and hills... usually result in slower times than a flat course... except for rare occasions. (like today?)

ARRS states: "Acceptable for rankings, not record quality. Point-to-point course with net drop of 3.5 m/km":

They still could have included your time with an asterisk though as they e.g. did for Lornah Kiplagat's now old course record (

), I just guess their database isn't complete enough (yet).

Craig-

Thanks for sharing. I want to back you on this one. Anyone who has raced Peachtree in that brutal southern heat and *humidity*, with the tough uphill second half of the race knows that course is not a fast course.

There are many courses out there in the US that are far faster than Peachtree, especially given the time of year Peachtree is run.

total agreement.. wrote:

Craig-

Thanks for sharing. I want to back you on this one. Anyone who has raced Peachtree in that brutal southern heat and *humidity*, with the tough uphill second half of the race knows that course is not a fast course.

There are many courses out there in the US that are far faster than Peachtree, especially given the time of year Peachtree is run.

The weather today was really warm and humid. It blows my mind that 27:01 was run today.

Is it a mistake in the article, or did the winner really run his second mile in 4:04?

Yyz wrote:

Is it a mistake in the article, or did the winner really run his second mile in 4:04?

I read somewhere it was 4:07, but still—that’s an incredible split.

Peachtree’s 2nd mile is a sloping downhill, so it makes sense for it to be the fastest. But the course goes right back upward again for about a half mile around the halfway point. From there on, it’s all rolling.

Winners been hitting that marinara sauce hard. Another payday for dem Italians

another runner wrote:

Brigid Kosgei should be DQ'd for cutting off Agnes Tirop at the end. What a dirty move.

Can we talk about this or did no one else watch the race?

How exciting was it that Frank M. won the Over-70 Championship at Peachtree today?

And he also won in the same division today in the L.L. Bean 10k in Freeport, Maine.

HE SET RECORDS IN BOTH! Same day, and over 1,000 miles apart, too. Man, oh man, this lean, mean running machine knows how to negotiate them roads!

Proven once again, I'm only as good as Emily Sisson in my prime. Damn, 30:22 for females is legit!! 30:00 for Abdi as Top Masters is almost 3-minutes faster than the 2nd place 40+!!

For awhile he had the men running a 5:07 second mile.