Caryn Lamphier

Hometown: Smyrna, GA

Races Completed: Seven marathons, 12 half marathons

Craziest Memory: For the Inaugural year, I was in the ER with my 12-month old son until around 1:00 a.m. I only got 3 hours of sleep, and told my husband to call me if Ethan digressed, and I'd come right home on the nearest MARTA train. I was so tired race morning that I forgot to wear my "Champion Chip" shoe timing chip! Remember those? I submitted my Garmin data, photos from the start, midway along the course, and the finish line, and also had a group of friends that I ran with who would vouch for me. The event organizers added me into the results, and the streak was born!

Most Difficult Obstacle: As an employee of Atlanta Track Club, I was initially scared that my streak may be over when we became the organizers of the event in 2016. However, I am happy to report that on race morning, I'm able to take a few hours off from work to "keep that streak alive" and run the race. I usually have 10K steps before I even hit the start line. The journey along the course couldn't be more rewarding as I get to see the crew chiefs and volunteers along the way that I've known for years make this race come alive. Operationally, it's also an advantage to see what is happening out there in real time.

Best Year: My favorite year was 2020. We had just hosted the 2020 Olympic Team Trials - Marathon the day before, and for me, it was one of the greatest days in American long distance running. My half marathon on Sunday felt like a celebratory victory lap!