ATLANTA – July 4, 2017 – There was no reprieve from Atlanta’s summertime heat and humidity for runners and walkers at the 2017 AJC Peachtree Road Race. Participants of the world’s largest 10K kicked off their Independence Day celebrations in typical July conditions for Atlanta.
The USA 10 km Championships returned to the AJC Peachtree Road Race, bringing with them a tight race for the men. Leonard Korir outkicked teammate and training partner Shadrack Kipchirchir for the win, finishing 28:16 and 28:17 respectively. Sam Chelanga placed third in 28:25, making it a sweep for Colorado Springs, Colorado, residents on the men’s side.
“I would say this is the toughest race in my career,” said Korir. “They made it tough for me today.”
For the women’s championship, Aliphine Tuliamuk (Santa Fe, NM) earned her sixth U.S. title since becoming an American citizen last year when she pulled away from the lead pack around mile four. Tuliamuk finished first in 32:49. Sarah Pagano (Boston, MA) placed second in 33:01 followed by Jordan Hasay (Beaverton, OR) in third (33:08).
"There is nothing better than getting a flag on America's birthday. This will be the most memorable flag I have,” said Tuliamuk.
It was a sweep for Atlanta Track Club Elite for the title of top Georgian. Teammates Lacey Krout (36:38) and Kirubel Erassa (29:51) placed first.
For the third year, a team military completion was featured at the AJC Peachtree Road Race. Team Army took the 2017 title of fastest military competition. The team had a cumulative time of 4:57:45. Each team consisted of six runners, three men and three women.
In the Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division, the winningest woman in the open women division added to her victories. Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, MD) won her seventh Peachtree in 23:15. It was her first race since the Boston Marathon after blood clots kept her out of competition.
“I'm just trying to stay healthy and get back in the game. I felt really good out there today,” said McFadden.
In his debut in the men’s open division, Daniel Romanchuk (Urbana, IL) crossed the finish line first in 20:02. The 18-year-old won the junior division at Peachtree in 2016.
“It's a wonderful race, pushing with people who've been in the sport a lot longer than I have,” said Romanchuk.
The 2017 AJC Peachtree Road Race finisher’s T-shirt was a light blue cotton-poly blend courtesy of Mizuno. A public vote chose Kevin Benton’s “American Peach” as this year’s T-shirt design, which was inspired by the patriotism, fun and energy of Peachtree.
“If you watch or run the race on the morning of July Fourth, you’ll see nothing but smiling faces and American flags,” said Benton, a Lawrenceville, Georgia, creative director and graphic designer. “Atlanta is proud to host such an awesome event, so I put a lot of focus on the Georgia Peach as well.”
For full unofficial results and more information on the 2017 AJC Peachtree Road Race, visit 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 27,000 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, PNC 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 1.6 million people each week. Every month, nearly 6.9 million unique visitors access the newspaper's websites, including AJC.com, myAJC.com and accessAtlanta.com. Our newsroom is the largest in Georgia with more than 150 journalists. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is part of Cox Media Group, a publishing, digital media and broadcasting subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.