Final preparations are being made ahead of the Atlanta Journal Constitution 54th annual Peachtree Road Race.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to pack Peachtree Street Tuesday, and Atlanta Police are putting the last preps in place for their security plan.
The Atlanta Track Club’s Rich Kennah tells WSB Radio that the Peachtree is one of the most famous races in the world, but it’s pretty much a home grown race.
“89, 90% of the participants in every Peachtree are from the state of Georgia,” he said, which brings a mixture of all skill levels to the race.
With around 60,000 people participating plus those who will be watching, Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Timothy Peek says that it’s not a holiday for the department.
“It’s an event that we’ve hosted so many times, but we never take it for granted. We want to make sure that we do all that we can from a safety standpoint,” said Peek.
Peek says that includes working with other local jurisdictions on security plans and having officers work in 12-hour shifts.
“We welcome any and everybody to come have a safe, fun time within the City of Atlanta,” he said.
Peek urges everyone to notify an officer if they see something that looks off or suspicious so that it can be checked out.
The race steps off at 7 a.m. with the final wave of participants getting their start around 8:30 a.m..