ATLANTA – May 5, 2016 – The 2016 AJC Peachtree Road Race will honor the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform as part of the annual Independence Day event. The third annual Kilometer Kids Charity Chase will again feature a team competition between our nation’s military branches.
In partnership with United Military Care, this year’s Kilometer Kids Charity Chase will feature five teams: Team Air Force, Team Army, Team Coast Guard, Team Marine Corps, and Team Navy. Each team will consist of six runners, three men and three women, representing all of the military children from their branch. The teams will compete for bragging rights in two areas: The fastest military branch and the team that receives the most donations for Atlanta Track Club’s Kilometer Kids youth running program through an online fundraiser.
A portion of the funds raised through the 2015 Kilometer Kids Charity Chase were used to establish Kilometer Kids programs at Fort Benning and Fort Stewart, the first to be established on military bases. The Fort Benning program launched last fall and has more than doubled in size for its spring season.
“Georgia-based military members and their families make many sacrifices for our nation, and Atlanta Track Club is proud to be able to give back by providing the Kilometer Kids program for the children of Fort Benning,” said Rich Kenah, Atlanta Track Club’s executive director. “We are thrilled to have another group of servicemen and women celebrate Independence Day with us at the AJC Peachtree Road Race as they support efforts to get more kids active.”
The online fundraiser will allow supporters to select a military team at the time of donation. All proceeds will go towards expanding the reach and accessibility of the Kilometer Kids program in metro Atlanta as part of a continued effort to encourage young people to achieve health and fitness through running.
"United Military Care is honored to team up with Atlanta Track Club to inspire military families to be healthier together,” said Leenie Ruben, board secretary of United Military Care. “This year we are proud to have five Georgia military teams from every branch running in the 2016 AJC Peachtree Road Race."
The 47th running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race will take place on Monday, July 4, 2016. The AJC Peachtree Road Race is the world’s largest 10K with 60,000 participants.
For more information, including how to donate to the Kilometer Kids Charity Chase, visit charitychaseforkids.org. Additional details about the 2016 AJC Peachtree Road Race are available at peachtreeroadrace.org.
About Atlanta Track Club
Atlanta Track Club is a nonprofit committed to creating an active and healthy Atlanta. Through running and walking, Atlanta Track Club motivates, inspires and engages the community to enjoy a healthier lifestyle. With more than 24,000 members, Atlanta Track Club is the second largest running organization in the United States. In addition to the AJC Peachtree Road Race (peachtreeroadrace.org) – the largest 10K running event in the world, the Publix Georgia Marathon, Atlanta 10 Miler and Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, Atlanta Track Club directs more than 30 events per year. Through the support of its members and volunteers, Atlanta Track Club also maintains a number of community initiatives including organizing and promoting the Kilometer Kids youth running program to metro Atlanta youth, honoring high school cross country and track and field athletes through Atlanta Track Club’s All-Metro Banquets and supporting the Grady Bicycle EMT program. For more information on Atlanta Track Club, visit atlantatrackclub.org.
About the AJC Peachtree Road Race
The AJC Peachtree Road Race is a 10K event that takes place every Fourth of July in Atlanta, Georgia. The first Peachtree was held in 1970 and featured 110 finishers. The AJC Peachtree Road Race is now the largest 10K running event in the world with 60,000 participants. The AJC Peachtree Road Race is perhaps most famous for the coveted AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt, which is handed out to all the event finishers. For more information on the AJC Peachtree Road Race visit peachtreeroadrace.org or AJC.com/peachtree.
About The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the leading source – both in print and online – of news, information and advertising for metropolitan Atlanta, reaching a total print and online audience of 1.7 million people each week. Every month, nearly 6.4 million unique visitors access the newspaper's websites, including AJC.com, myAJC.com and accessAtlanta.com. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is part of Cox Media Group, a publishing, digital media and broadcasting subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.