Race story
On February 26, 2023, Atlanta gave Run50 State 7 a full-city feel: Olympic rings, Coca-Cola and CNN landmarks, rolling streets, and a weekend road trip built around 26.2 and 13.1 miles.
Preface
I have a Vietnamese friend named Ethan, who looks like Chifu, and we usually play well. Ethan is studying for a Ph.D. in Baodao, Taiwan. He can speak a little bit of Chinese and is a well-known running and fitness expert in the local community. He has always said that he wants to run the Atlanta Marathon because his good friends are there and he can take a tour. This also piqued my interest, so I checked out this pine tree and it looked really good! 96 Olympic City, Wang Junxia, Coca-Cola, CNN, many labels, the time was just right, no ink wasted, and I signed up instantly.
Later, Ethan was too busy looking for a job and did not go, but this was not important to us at all. It would be the same with or without him. The important thing is that having such a little reason inspired me and 47 to run to Atlanta. Then it was a 16-hour self-driving round trip over two days on the weekend, and a walking tour of Atlanta city on 26.2 and 13.1.
The 8-hour one-way self-driving didn't make us feel too tired. We also went to Chattanooga, Tennessee for a walk and a flight in the middle of the trip.
When we arrived in Atlanta, it was already evening. 47 looked for a parking space, and I rushed to the Expo to pick up running equipment. The marathon expo was at the Atlanta Aquarium. Many booths were closed when I arrived, but in the end I successfully got the running T-shirts and number tags for 47 and me. Then we met up smoothly, went to have Korean food together, and then went back to rest and prepare for tomorrow's run.
Horse racing, 96 Olympic City
🎽 Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital of Georgia, with 420,000 people. On July 28, 1996, in the women's 5,000-meter final of the Atlanta Olympic Games, Chinese athlete Wang Junxia won the championship with a time of 14:59.88. She also became the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic long-distance running gold medal.
The Atlanta Marathon is organized by Atlanta Track Club, its full name is "Publix Atlanta Marathon".
The Atlanta Publix Marathon starts at Centennial Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The track stretches from Grant Park in the south to Piedmont Park in the north. The track includes the following locations:
Five Points, Midtown, Decatur, Marietta Street, Centennial Olympic Park Drive, Vine City.
The track design can be said to be full of sincerity. This race attracts approximately 16,000 runners, making it the largest marathon in the United States.
On the day of the competition, we arrived at the Centennial Olympic Park Avenue early. It was not bright yet, but it was already packed with people! The toilets were also hard to find because I was wearing an Arsenal jersey and people would say hello to me "Gunners go!"
Because this marathon is close to St. Patrick's Day, the main color is green, sponsored by Adidas. The starting point is a sea of green. I am wearing a red Gunners jersey, which makes me stand out.
The starting time was 7:30. As the time approached, I gradually moved forward with the large group. The starting gun sounded and the race began! The first full marathon in 2023 has officially started. It was a slightly cool morning in Georgia at the end of February, and it was very comfortable to run.
We started from Centennial Olympic Park, passed through the CNN building all the way, and greeted the city skyline on the Jackson Street Bridge after 3 miles.
It has a 4.8 rating on Google Maps, and locals say it’s “the most Instagrammed spot in Atlanta, and it’s even more famous because of the poster for the hit American TV series “The Walking Dead.”
At mile 4, we came to the famous Martin Luther King neighborhood, which is the birthplace of Martin Luther King. If you have the opportunity, you can visit Martin Luther King’s childhood home. The entire neighborhood has been designated as a historic preserve to preserve the neighborhood's atmosphere and different styles of houses.
Here, I also met a group of Chinese runners. I said "Come on!" to them, and we cheered each other on.
After 6 miles, you will see some children accompanied by their parents to cheer up the runners! Great culture. Of course, I have encountered similar scenes many times in China. I hope I can return to China soon and run another horse race.
After that, we will run into Freedom Park, and then arrive at Piedmont Park (Piedmont Park) a little more than 9 miles away. The Midtown Reflection here is very attractive, and I also took a few photos.
We then continued westward along 10th Street, passing the 10-mile mile sign, and finally met the photographer and supply point after 11-mile.
After adding some photos and energy drinks, we are about to reach the dividing line between the full marathon and the half marathon. It is close to the Olympic Park and is particularly lively.
However, with a left turn before the end of the half marathon, the track suddenly became quiet. There were only full marathon runners on the following journey, but don't worry, there will be cheering volunteers along the way, and it won't be lonely or boring.
After 14 miles, a behemoth appeared in front of us, that is Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This stadium opened in August 2017 and is the home of the Atlanta Falcons of the Football League (NFL) and Atlanta United of the Major League Soccer League (MLS).
The stadium has a capacity of 71,000 spectators for rugby matches and 42,500 spectators for football matches. It is said that this stadium cost 1.6 billion US dollars to build and has a retractable roof, which can be said to be super luxurious.
In fact, the Atlanta United football team's opening game of the new season happened to be held here the day before the horse race. Before the race, the club sent everyone an email saying that they could watch the game at a cheap price. But I am in a hurry, so I can only go there when I have the opportunity in the future. Maybe I can go see Messi or the World Cup in the future.
After 15 miles, we will pass through Clark Atlanta University, which is said to have been formed by the merger of two historically black universities, Clark College and Atlanta University.
This is also one of my favorite sections of the entire event. The volunteers are so enthusiastic and keep screaming. It’s very comfortable to run on campus and the atmosphere is really great!
After running out of the campus, we took a U-turn. After 17 miles, we met again at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. There were energy gels at the supply point here. I quickly stopped to refuel myself and refill the gels.
After taking the energy gel, within a short while, I felt less tired when running, my feet were lighter, and I ran 20 miles in one breath.
At this time, the weather was getting hotter and I was a little strenuous. To be honest, the Atlanta Marathon was really difficult to run. There were countless uphills and downhills in the second half of the race. Every time I encountered an uphill, I would think of training with Norton’s Hill Repeat, and then I would go through the hills smoothly.
Looking back, the training at the beginning of the year was indeed effective. I think running is actually a pretty "silly" exercise. As long as you run enough, you can always see results.
Then at mile 22, we will go through a very interesting track stage. It seems like we are back to the days of training next to home, but the track here is red, not black, and there is less of an illusion of going back to Waggener High School. Later we learned that this place is called Track Georgia, and the locals like it very much.
At mile 23, I saw that the house behind me looked pretty good, so I asked a cycling volunteer I met many times to take a photo for me. Then we turned right, and it turned out that the Olympic rings and torch were not far away.
I drank some water and energy drinks at the supply point. When I saw a photographer in the distance, I quickly started running. I had to look like an Olympic athlete.
I even high-fived a very enthusiastic volunteer along the way, and her little daughter was also cheering us on! Injecting full energy into everyone’s last few miles.
The rest of the distance was actually run easily. I think it must be because I ate good energy gel and also took the winter training seriously. Amid cheers all the way by the Olympic Park, I passed the finish line briskly, with a final time of 4:26:54.
This is my best result since coming to the United States. I feel like I still have more to say: “I can still run!”
After the finish line, I also met another male Arsenal fan. I quickly found him and took a photo with him. It was a very precious photo.
47 has been at the finish line for a while, and is now waiting for my triumphant return. We asked passers-by to take photos with us in the colorful Olympic rings and the Olympic Park, and then 47 also took a great photo of me in front of the Ferris wheel.
Postscript
After the game, we walked back to the hotel, picked up the car, and returned, which took ≥8 hours.
Many transportation routes in Atlanta have not yet been lifted, and there are still many runners finishing the race one after another. I also opened the car window to cheer them on. Coincidentally, I happened to see the guy I met in the morning. He also gave me a "yeah" gesture. I knew he was OK.
47 and I switched cars and went all the way to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where we found a great Chinese buffet called "Royal Garden" to replenish some energy. Then we drove to the river and took pictures of the scenery along the river and the leisurely lives of the residents of the small town.
We were passing through Nashville on the way back, and we wanted to go to DQ to have some shake to refresh ourselves, but none of them were open.
Finally, at the end of Sunday, we drove all the way back to Lucheng, took a shower, went to bed, and prepared to face the new week.
I like weekends like this. Compared with a little physical fatigue, I enjoy this kind of mental pleasure more. It always brings me extra motivation and conversation topics in my new work life.
The fatigue of horse racing may disappear in a day or two, but this new motivation can always last for a long time. For example, when I was fishing, I occasionally checked Facebook and saw that the 98-year-old grandmother Betty Lindberg completed the 5-kilometer event in the same Atlanta Marathon! And the result was less than an hour old!
Stories like this always inspire people, and I am always inspired.
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Words | Arsenan
Photos | Arsenan
Design | Arsenan