Peachtree Road Race 2027: The Complete Guide to the World’s Largest 10K

Every Fourth of July, around 55,000 people run six miles through Atlanta in near-tropical humidity, up a hill named after a cardiac ward, to collect a T-shirt.

Put like that, it sounds absurd. In practice, the Peachtree Road Race is one of the great days in American running — a citywide party that has run continuously since 1970, that Atlantans plan their summers around, and that has turned a simple finisher’s shirt into one of the most coveted pieces of kit in the sport.

The 2027 edition falls on Sunday, July 4 — the 58th running, and the second under a new name after the biggest sponsorship change in the race’s history.

Here’s everything you need to know.

New Name: It’s Not the “AJC Peachtree” Anymore

If you’ve run Peachtree before or read older guides, you’ll know it as the AJC Peachtree Road Race. That changed in February 2026.

After 49 years as title sponsor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution handed naming rights to Northside Hospital — the first new title partner in roughly half a century. The event is now officially the Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race. The AJC remains the race’s official media partner, so the paper’s coverage continues; only the name on the shirt has changed.

Everything else — the date, the course, the Atlanta Track Club as organizer, the traditions — stays the same.

Peachtree Road Race 2027: Race Overview

Official Name: Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race
Date: Sunday, July 4, 2027 (58th running)
Distance: 10K (6.2 miles)
Start: Lenox Square, Buckhead
Finish: Piedmont Park, Midtown
Field Size: Around 55,000 participants
Organizer: Atlanta Track Club
Entry: Lottery for the general public; guaranteed entry for Atlanta Track Club members, charity entrants, and sponsor employees
Minimum Age: 10
Established: July 4, 1970
Course Records: Men — 27:04, Joseph Kimani (1996); Women — 30:21, Brigid Kosgei (2019)

How to Get In

Peachtree operates a lottery, and it’s the part of the race most likely to catch out first-timers. There are, however, several ways to bypass it entirely.

1. Join Atlanta Track Club (the smart move)

This is the single best piece of advice for anyone who wants a guaranteed Peachtree entry: become an Atlanta Track Club member. Members get guaranteed entry rather than taking their chances in the lottery, plus a lower entry fee and better start wave placement.

In recent years member entry has run around $55 versus $65 for lottery entrants, and members have been placed in the earlier waves. Given that annual membership costs less than most race entries and removes all the uncertainty, it’s an easy calculation if you plan to run more than once.

2. The lottery

Non-members enter a random lottery. Based on recent years, expect registration to open around 1 April 2027, run for roughly a month, with results announced in early May.

You’ll need to enter a credit card at registration, but it isn’t charged unless you’re selected. Groups of up to 10 can enter the lottery together as a team, which means you’re all in or all out — useful if you’re travelling with friends and want to avoid a split result.

3. Charity entry — Peachtree with a Purpose

Guaranteed entry is available through the Kilometer Kids charity waves, supporting Atlanta Track Club’s free youth running program. Recent tiers have been:

• $300: Guaranteed Wave C placement or earlier, commemorative medal, adidas Kilometer Kids bag, MARTA Breeze pass, and race materials shipped to you
• $500: Guaranteed Wave A placement plus the same benefits

Worth noting: these are not fundraising commitments where you chase donations from friends — they’re straightforward paid entries that go to the charity. If you missed the lottery and genuinely want to run, this is the reliable route.

4. Sponsor employee entry

Employees of race sponsors receive guaranteed entry through a separate registration window that typically opens before the general lottery.

The Triple Peach

If Atlanta is your home base or you’re planning a bigger year, Atlanta Track Club offers a Triple Peach Series: complete the Peachtree Road Race, the PNC Atlanta 10 Miler, and the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon to earn a Triple Peach medal. Registering for all three at once locks in the lowest price.

The Course: Buckhead to Piedmont Park

The route runs 6.2 miles down Peachtree Road from Lenox Square in Buckhead to Piedmont Park in Midtown. It’s a point-to-point course, roughly net downhill overall — and that “roughly” is doing a lot of work.

Miles 1-2: The fast start

The opening stretch drops away from Lenox Square and is genuinely quick. With 55,000 people behind you and a downhill gradient underfoot, this is where inexperienced runners hand back their entire race.

Strategy: Go easier than feels natural. The hill is coming.

Mile 3: Cardiac Hill

The defining feature of the Peachtree. Shortly before the halfway point the course climbs past Piedmont Hospital in a long, exposed grind that the race has nicknamed Cardiac Hill — a name that lands harder given the hospital sitting right there beside you.

It’s not a mountain. It’s a sustained climb at the exact moment you’ve warmed up, the sun has risen, and the humidity has begun to make itself known.

Strategy: Shorten your stride, drop your effort a notch, and accept a slower split. Hospital staff traditionally line this section to cheer, which helps more than you’d expect.

Miles 4-6.2: Midtown and the finish

After the climb the course rolls through Midtown before turning into Piedmont Park for the finish. The crowds thicken, the park comes into view, and the last stretch is genuinely enjoyable.

Strategy: If you paced the hill sensibly, you’ll be passing people for the last two miles. That’s the whole trick to running Peachtree well.

The Heat: Plan For It

This is Atlanta on the Fourth of July. Even with an early start, conditions are typically warm and humid, and for later waves it can become genuinely hard.

Practical guidance:

• This is not a PR course. Between the heat, the hill, and 55,000 people, adjust your expectations before you start rather than during mile four.
• Hydrate the day before, not just on race morning.
• Drink at every aid station from the beginning, whether you feel like it or not.
• Wear a cap, use sunscreen, and dress for heat.
• Watch for the warning signs — chills, goosebumps, dizziness, or stopping sweating are reasons to slow down or stop, not to push through. There’s excellent medical support along the course; use it.
• Earlier waves get better conditions. Another argument for club membership or a charity entry.

Race Weekend Logistics

Getting to the start

Take MARTA. This isn’t a preference, it’s the answer. Peachtree Road closes for the race, parking around Lenox Square is severely limited, and 55,000 people are converging on one point.

The layout is unusually convenient: Lenox station sits at the start, Midtown station sits near the finish. Trains run early and frequently on race morning. Some entry packages even include a MARTA Breeze pass.

The Expo

The Peachtree Health & Fitness Expo is where you collect your number, and it has moved to Lenox Square — meaning you can preview the start area while you’re there. Bib collection is in person; plan for it, because there’s no race-morning pickup.

Race morning timing

Wave starts are staggered across the morning, with the earliest waves going first. Check your assigned wave on your bib and materials, arrive with buffer for MARTA crowds and toilet queues, and be aware that later waves face meaningfully warmer conditions.

The T-Shirt

Every finisher receives the Peachtree T-shirt, and it’s worth explaining why this matters more than it sounds.

The design is kept secret until race day, changes every year, and cannot be bought — the only way to own one is to finish. Atlantans wear them for decades, and spotting an old Peachtree shirt in the wild is a small local ritual. For a lot of runners, the shirt is the medal.

The design is also voted on, with the public choosing from finalist entries in the months before the race.

The Wider Peachtree Family

Atlanta Track Club runs several related events under the Peachtree name:

• Peachtree Junior — held the day before, with a mile for ages 6-14 and a dash for under-6s. A good option if you’re bringing family.
• Polar Opposite Peachtree Road Race — the same idea in January, running the course in the opposite direction and in the opposite weather. Worth knowing about if July heat isn’t for you.

A Bit of History

The first Peachtree Road Race was run on 4 July 1970 and had 110 finishers. It now draws more than 50,000, making it the largest 10K in the world.

The race grew alongside the American running boom and became woven into Atlanta’s civic identity in a way few road races manage anywhere. It has run every year since, and a dedicated group of runners have completed it for decades without missing an edition.

Course records tell you the race can be genuinely fast when conditions allow: Joseph Kimani’s 27:04 from 1996 still stands, as does Brigid Kosgei’s 30:21 from 2019.

Is Peachtree Right for You?

Great choice if you:

• Want to experience one of American running’s genuine institutions
• Enjoy huge, festival-atmosphere races
• Are visiting or based in the Southeast
• Want a Fourth of July tradition rather than a time trial
• Are bringing family — the junior events and park finish make it easy

Look elsewhere if you:

• Are chasing a 10K personal best — heat, hill, and crowds all work against you
• Struggle badly in humidity
• Prefer small, quiet races
• Can’t plan far enough ahead for the spring lottery

Beyond the Race

You finish in Piedmont Park, which is a good place to stay a while — it’s Atlanta’s central green space and the post-race area is a genuine celebration. Nearby:

• Atlanta Botanical Garden, adjoining the park
• The BeltLine — the converted rail corridor, excellent for a shakeout walk or an easy jog the next day
• Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium, and the World of Coca-Cola downtown
• The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Sweet Auburn
• Fourth of July fireworks — you’re in the right city on the right day

The Bottom Line

The Peachtree isn’t a race you run for the time. It’s hot, it’s crowded, and there’s a hill in the middle with a hospital next to it. You will almost certainly run slower than you’re capable of.

What you get instead is 55,000 people running down Peachtree Road on Independence Day, a finish in Piedmont Park, and a T-shirt you can’t buy at any price. Fifty-eight years in, it remains one of the best days on the American running calendar.

The 58th Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race takes place Sunday, 4 July 2027. If you want to be certain of a place, join Atlanta Track Club or take a charity entry — otherwise, watch for the lottery opening around 1 April.

Ready to add Peachtree to your race history? Track your goals and results at RunningLog — and if it becomes your annual tradition, you’ll have every year of it on record.

How many Peachtrees have you run? Share your streak on Instagram or Threads.