Elite Athlete Fields Set for 55th Running of AJC Peachtree Road Race

ATLANTA - June 27, 2024 - Two of the top road racers in the world will face off in the 55th Running of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, organizers announced today.

In his first season of competition in the U.S., Sabastian Sawe comes to Atlanta ranked as the #1 road racer in the world, based on distances from 10K to the half marathon. The 29-year-old Kenyan brings a personal best of 26:49, the second-fastest 10K time in the world last year, and the reigning World Half Marathon Champion sits on top of the 2024 leaderboard for the fastest half marathon in the world so far this year, 58:24.

In a rematch of those 2023 World Half Marathon Championships, Sawe will face Kenya's Daniel Ebenyo, 28, who earned a silver medal in that race last fall. Ebenyo was leading until Sawe drew even with a few hundred meters remaining, going on to a four-second victory. "We pushed each other to a good result," Ebenyo said afterward.

Ebenyo, the 2023 World Championships silver medalist at 10,000 meters on the track, is ranked #1 in the world for 10K on the roads. His personal best of 26:58 is second in the Peachtree field only to Sawe. Both will be making their Peachtree debuts.

Among the other top athletes in the field are Mathew Kimeli of Kenya (27:07) and Boniface Kibiwott (27:13) of Kenya and Jake Robertson of New Zealand (27:28). Returning to the Peachtree for the 10th time is American Elkanah Kibet, 41.

In the Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division, course record-holder Daniel Romanchuk of the USA will have a chance to make history as the first athlete in the men's open division to win the Peachtree seven times. Romanchuk, 25, has won Peachtree for the past six years in a row, but will have to fend off American Aaron Pike, a six-time Paralympian, and Josh Cassidy of Canada, a two-time Peachtree champion.

The field for the women's footrace is headlined by 24-year-old Emmaculate Anyango, whose 10K personal best of 28:57 makes her the second-fastest woman in history at the distance. The Kenyan is currently ranked as the #4 road racer in the world.

Jesca Chelangat (30:01) will return after finishing second here last year and will challenge Anyango.

Also returning will be Susannah Scaroni, the 2020 Paralympic gold medalist at 5,000 meters. The 33-year-old Peachtree course record-holder will be seeking her fourth win here since 2018 and third in a row. Scaroni missed the spring marathon season with an overuse injury but is apparently back to form: She set a World Record for 5,000 meters on the track in early June.

The winner of each professional division will receive $12,500.

For the first time, the Peachtree will feature an Elite High School Division, giving the best young distance runners in Georgia the chance to experience professional road racing first-hand. The field is composed of the top 20 boys and top 20 girls from the classes of 2025, 2026 and 2027 residing in Georgia who accepted an invitation from Atlanta Track Club.

The 55th Running of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race will be held Thursday, July 4, in Atlanta, Georgia, with 50,000 runners and walkers making their way from Lenox Square to Piedmont Park in the world's largest 10K. The event will be livestreamed on AJC.com and on the AJC News app beginning at 6 a.m., with Lewis Johnson, Carrie Tollefson and Amanda McGrory leading the broadcast team.

The full fields of athletes - elite open, wheelchair and high school division:

Men's Open Division

Name

Country

10K Personal Best

Sabastian Sawe

KEN

26:49

Daniel Ebenyo

KEN

26:58

Mathew Kimeli

KEN

27:07

Boniface Kibiwott

KEN

27:13

Hillary Kipkoech

KEN

27:23

Jake Robertson

NZL

27:28

Robert Kiprop Koech

KEN

27:54

Reuben Mosip

KEN

28:06

Josphat Kipchirchir

KEN

28:10

Hendrik Pfeiffer

GER

28:49

Johannes Motschmann

GER

28:51

Elkanah Kibet

USA

28:57

Yemane Haileselassie

ERI

29:01

Jake Riley

USA

29:07

Jack Mastandrea

USA

29:37

Jason Weitzel

USA

29:40

Eduardo Garcia

ISV

29:57

Craig Lautenslager

NZL

29:26

Robert Miranda

USA

29:56

Wilkerson Given

USA

30:01

Willy Fink

USA

Debut

JP Trojan

USA

Debut

Karl Thiessen

USA

Debut

Nadir Yusuf

USA

Debut

Debulu Ede

ETH

Debut

Moath Alkhawaldeh

JOR

Debut

Andrew Bowman

USA

Debut


Men's Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division

Aaron Pike

USA

18:11

Daniel Romanchuk

USA

18:00

Josh Cassidy

CAN

18:52

Brian Siemann

USA

20:00

James Senbeta

USA

20:05

Rafael Botello Jiminez

ESP

20:10

Hermin Garic

USA

20:51

Wyatt Bruce Willand

USA

20:53

Aidan Gravelle

USA

20:54

Valera "Jacob" Allen

USA

20:58

Evan Correll

USA

22:26

Geert Schipper

NED

23:01

Dustin Stallberg

USA

21:43

Miguel Jimenez Vergara

USA

21:48

Peyton Gunnarson

USA

21:50

Colby Higgins

USA

22:05

Laurens Molina

CRC

22:19

Jason Robinson

USA

23:08

Phillip Croft

USA

24:00

Pedro Gandarilla Fernandez

MEX

24:00

Matthew Porterfield

USA

24:59

Brad Smith

USA

27:05

Grant Pierce

USA


Women's Open Division

Emmaculate Anyango

KEN

28:57

Jesca Chelangat

KEN

30:01

Cintia Chepngeno

KEN

30:08

Vicoty Chepngeno

KEN

30:14

Irine Cheptai

KEN

30:16

Grace Loibach

KEN

30:27

Stacy Ndiwa

KEN

31:01

Cynthia Limo

KEN

31:27

Sarah Naibei

KEN

31:29

Risper Biyaki

MEX

31:43

Mestawut Fikir

ETH

31:45

Vibian Chepkurui

KEN

32:11

Aynadis Mebrit

ETH

32:34

Tristan Van Ord

USA

32:34

Atsede Bayisa

ETH

32:40

Jessie Cardin

USA

32:49

Susanna Sullivan

USA

32:50

Carrie Verdon

USA

33:06

Kasanesh Baze

ETH

33:10

Laura Labuschagne

RSA

33:57

Sydney Bowman

USA

34:11

Katie Munks

USA

34:13

Stephanie Sherman

USA

34:21

Rachel Kennedy

USA

35:01

Whitney Macon

USA

35:36

Erica Weitz

USA

35:42

Kassie Parker

USA

Debut

Jasmine Fehr

CAN

Debut

Marissa Lenger

USA

Debut


Women's Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division

Susannah Scaroni

USA

21:10

Chelsea Stein

USA

24:32

Jenna Fesemyer

USA

24:50

Yen Hoang

USA

24:53

Hannah Babalola

NGR

24:55

Hannah Dederick

USA

25:30

Michelle Wheeler

USA

26:12

Kendall Gretsch

USA

27:30

Emelia Perry

USA

28:18

Veronica Gonzalez

MEX

29:48

Aerelie Jones

USA

30:55

Hoda Eishorbagy

EGY

32:33

Linden Williamson

USA


Elite High School Division

GIRLS

Name

School

City

Kenley Adams

Lambert HS

Suwanee

Liliana Beemer

Evans HS

Evans

Zahara Bernal

Pace Academy

Atlanta

Maya Davis

Athens Academy

Athens

Aislynn Dunn

Pope HS

Marietta

Georgy Helmers

St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School

Columbus

Audrey Hotard

Habersham Central HS

Mt. Airy

Josie Hutchinson

Pope HS

Marietta

Maddie Jones

Marietta HS

Marietta

Tess Krogman

West Forsyth HS

Cumming

Emily McDonald

Alexander HS

Douglasville

Weezie Moore

Wesleyan School

Peachtree Corners

Mary Nesmith

Marietta HS

Marietta

Clodagh O'Bryant

North Hall HS

Gainesville

London Ray

Blessed Trinity Catholic HS

Roswell

Olivia Resnick

Pace Academy

Atlanta

Effie Ward

Harris County HS

Hamilton

Kennedy Wardle

Brookwood HS

Snellville


BOYS

Ethan Bridge

Denmark HS

Alpharetta

Aaron Brodrick

Oconee County HS

Watkinsville

Malachi Burnett

Creekview HS

Canton

Riley Comstock

Harrison HS

Kennesaw

Caleb Darsey

Bleckley County HS

Cochran

Davis Drake

Johnson Ferry Christian Academy

Marietta

Walker Elrod

Grace Christian Academy

Bainbridge

Evan Grundmeyer Marietta HS Marietta

Liam Hanemann

Marist School

Atlanta

Jackson Hogsed

Lambert HS

Suwanee

Clint Huggins

Harrison HS

Kennesaw

Dermot Maloney

Pope HS

Marietta

Wood Moore

Wesleyan HS

Peachtree Corners

Jameson Pifer

Collins Hill HS

Suwanee

Andrew Stricklin

Marist School

Atlanta

Kristopher Strong

Stockbridge HS

Stockbridge

Alexander Thompson

Brookwood HS

Snellville

Wyatt Windham

Lumpkin County HS

Dahlonega

Ben Winn

South Forsyth HS

Cumming

Bryant Young

North Hall High School

Gainesville