Atlanta Publix Marathon

[Texas84]

The Publix is a half and full through Atlanta. I did the half and really enjoyed it. Fun, somewhat hilly course through hip neighborhoods and historic sites. Nice St. Paddy's Day bling!

This almost felt like a Disney race. Great volunteers and spectator support. Best signage:
1) Last place wins a Carnival cruise
2) Chafed <censored> turn me on (youknowwhatimean)
3) I don't know you but I'm proud of you

Biggest laugh was the guy yelling, "Hey you in the green shirt. Run faster!" There were lots of green shirts. Get it?

I made the mistake of wearing my green Wine & Dine shirt. Yeah, chafing.

Running past Ebenezer Baptist was awesome. That's some history right there.

A chef was out yelling at runners. "Ya'll are going to be hungry! Come back here and eat!" The grills were all firing up for Sunday brunch and lunch. A lot of runners stopped by the Starbucks.

Might add more later. Big storm headed our way.

The Garmin map.

Official half elevation. Full is on their website along with more maps.

Some pics of the start line. I stayed at the Holiday Inn across the street. VERY convenient but noisy. That part of downtown is busy Saturday night.

CNN center. The finish is all downhill!

The finish and my hotel behind it.

 

[Mad Stitch]

Congrats. I like the bling.

 

[Kristia]

Love the medal!!

 

[Mr mom]

With my Irish roots I have to say I gotta get me one of those medals, that looks awesome

 

[joel_maxwell]

Congrats on the half and the medal. Glad you had a good run and time. I agree, RnR series and big runs like this are on the same scale production as Disney (sans characters)... just MHO.

Love the medal. Very nice profile with the engraving.

Ok, Im doing this next year. I got to run in downtown ATL last year while over there for business and loved it. I loved running down by midtown etc. See, this is what im talking about. Im not trying to be a hater on runDisney right now, but Im just trying to put things into perspective (and I guess it is only fair some dont care about perspective), but Disney wants $135 for a 10 miler, and I could register for the 2014 Georgia marathon for $65.

 

[a2grafix]

Congrats on the half and the medal. Glad you had a good run and time. I agree, RnR series and big runs like this are on the same scale production as Disney (sans characters)... just MHO.

Love the medal. Very nice profile with the engraving.

Ok, Im doing this next year. I got to run in downtown ATL last year while over there for business and loved it. I loved running down by midtown etc. See, this is what im talking about. Im not trying to be a hater on runDisney right now, but Im just trying to put things into perspective (and I guess it is only fair some dont care about perspective), but Disney wants $135 for a 10 miler, and I could register for the 2014 Georgia marathon for $65.

Congrats on running the Atlanta half! Bling is sweet too!

This race looks interesting for 2014. Already starting to plan my big runs in 2014, and I echo your same sentiments Joel. I signed up in the past week for the 2013 Wine and Dine ($201 and some change after taxes), and the 2014 "The Half at The Louisiana Marathon" in Baton Rouge. Got a discount code and paid just under $50 for entry. Not hating on Disney, and I am going to love every minute of it from May through November when I train for the Disneyland and Wine and Dine Half Marathons for the coast to coast medal.

There are a multitude of half and full marathons out there that are equally impressive (Atlanta Publix), are just as challenging and fun and little bit lighter in price. Have my eyes looking into the 2014 Atlanta half as well as the Air Force half and the Marine Corps half.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Congrats on running the Atlanta half! Bling is sweet too!

This race looks interesting for 2014. Already starting to plan my big runs in 2014, and I echo your same sentiments Joel. I signed up in the past week for the 2013 Wine and Dine ($201 and some change after taxes), and the 2014 "The Half at The Louisiana Marathon" in Baton Rouge. Got a discount code and paid just under $50 for entry. Not hating on Disney, and I am going to love every minute of it from May through November when I train for the Disneyland and Wine and Dine Half Marathons for the coast to coast medal.

There are a multitude of half and full marathons out there that are equally impressive (Atlanta Publix), are just as challenging and fun and little bit lighter in price. Have my eyes looking into the 2014 Atlanta half as well as the Air Force half and the Marine Corps half.

HOLY SH&T. $201 for the W&D half. I guess you can rule out me doing a Goofy anytime soon. Entry fees alone would be $400-$500. Oh well.

Yes, there are plenty of great events that run through many cool cities. I am with you, I really want to do the Marine Corp event one day. As I stated and you did too, Im not hating on Disney since people are obviously still registering for it and it will sell out, but I just cant believe the justified increase in price for their events.

This last comment isnt supposed to come off snobbish, but I like spending entry fees to events that put a lot of the proceeds directly into the local community. Ruffner Mtn nature center, Mercedes goes to Kids One Transport etc. They cant all go to good, but I can enter a lot of events for that kind of money.

BTW, that medal would be in the top 4 or 5 I have earned. Love the shamrock and the glitter inlay.

 

[a2grafix]

HOLY SH&T. $201 for the W&D half. I guess you can rule out me doing a Goofy anytime soon. Entry fees alone would be $400-$500. Oh well.

Yes, there are plenty of great events that run through many cool cities. I am with you, I really want to do the Marine Corp event one day. As I stated and you did too, Im not hating on Disney since people are obviously still registering for it and it will sell out, but I just cant believe the justified increase in price for their events.

This last comment isnt supposed to come off snobbish, but I like spending entry fees to events that put a lot of the proceeds directly into the local community. Ruffner Mtn nature center, Mercedes goes to Kids One Transport etc. They cant all go to good, but I can enter a lot of events for that kind of money.

Sorry to thead-jack.

Yes, Joel, paid $175 entry for Disneyland Half AND Wine and Dine Half, and totaled $201 and some change when I also purchased an event pin and taxes. Yeah, $402 and some change for both races. That does not include airfare and hotel, possible park tickets, food, etc.

My final half of 2013 will be in December - St. Jude Memphis Half. All goes to a great cause, to the hospital that is FIVE BLOCKS from my apartment. I'm sure Disney's price increase has to do with creating medals, race stuff, and the economy, but I would also believe that some of the proceeds are funneled into some charity that Disney backs. But it's Disney and sometimes we pay a price to experience the Disney way. More and more races, just like Atlanta's half and full, and Louisiana Half / Full, are much cheaper but race directors are taking a page out of the runDisney playbook, sans characters, and they are turning out to be great races. I for one, decided just this once to experience what so many other runners have experienced recently - entering 1 or 2 or 3 runDisney races, some like me and others running for that coveted coast to coast medal.

Now that I have tasted what runDisney offers in price and experience, I'm looking for that similar experience and taste in other races. Atlanta Publix is now on my radar.

Regardless if it is a runDisney event or not, I'm starting to see more of the country and visiting cities and run through neighborhoods now that I have decided to run on a regular basis. Now my mom is asking me to consider running a half marathon in Northeast Ohio in October. I guess when people know you are a runner and a half marathoner, the invites start pouring in.

But how cool is it to run through a Disney park? Through Disney property that could can only get to by walking or by bus or by monorail or by boat?

 

[JillC LI]

Congratulations!

 

[joel_maxwell]

Regardless if it is a runDisney event or not, I'm starting to see more of the country and visiting cities and run through neighborhoods now that I have decided to run on a regular basis.

That is really what i look forward to now. Doing other courses etc and try not to repeat a course or event for awhile. This weekend will be my first time setting foot on the trails at Lake Martin. It brings a whole new meaning to "pre race nerves"

But how cool is it to run through a Disney park? Through Disney property that could can only get to by walking or by bus or by monorail or by boat?

It is cool. I am glad I have experienced it. I dont look down on anyone that participates in these events with the price increase, I just cant justify it now. Hopefully one day things will level off so I can get a Goofy accomplished.

and yes, sorry for the thread jack.

 

[Texas84]

More notes: Cousin Brandi PR'ed this one even though I left her at mile 10. She was getting sick and told me to go on. Maybe I was pushing her too hard.

I think the only real corral seeding was A & B. Brandi and her friends all ended up in L and I signed up later and ended up in N. Brandi's friends are all faster than her. Numbering seemed to be alphabetical. The good news is there were not a lot of 'casual' runners and there were very few choke points. We are all running at the start line. The worst choke point was a one-way road around the Carter Center. The corrals just rolled. There was no wait between corrals. It was just to space the runners. I liked that.

Check out the Publix 2014 website. They are having an early discount if you can commit that early. $64 marathon, $48 half until March 23. I don't think they always do the shamrock. It just happened to be on the 17th this year. It's March 23rd next year. I recommend a downtown hotel but my friends who drove in that morning said traffic wasn't bad.

http://www.georgiamarathon.com/

There is another marathon in October but no half. Different course but still hits the good sites.

http://atlantamarathon.org/

And a half in November, start and finish at Turner Field. Might have to do this one.

http://www.atlantahalfmarathon.org/

 

[joel_maxwell]

More notes: Cousin Brandi PR'ed this one even though I left her at mile 10. She was getting sick and told me to go on. Maybe I was pushing her too hard.

I think the only real corral seeding was A & B. Brandi and her friends all ended up in L and I signed up later and ended up in N. Brandi's friends are all faster than her. Numbering seemed to be alphabetical. The good news is there were not a lot of 'casual' runners and there were very few choke points. We are all running at the start line. The worst choke point was a one-way road around the Carter Center. The corrals just rolled. There was no wait between corrals. It was just to space the runners. I liked that.

Check out the Publix 2014 website. They are having an early discount if you can commit that early. $64 marathon, $48 half until March 23. I don't think they always do the shamrock. It just happened to be on the 17th this year. It's March 23rd next year. I recommend a downtown hotel but my friends who drove in that morning said traffic wasn't bad.

http://www.georgiamarathon.com/

There is another marathon in October but no half. Different course but still hits the good sites.

http://atlantamarathon.org/

And a half in November, start and finish at Turner Field. Might have to do this one.

http://www.atlantahalfmarathon.org/

Thanks for the links. I tell you this, Id be so stressed out driving in for this from a hotel on the outskirts. One wrong turn or missed turn off the highway, forget it. Just ask Pascual Perez in 1982 (waits to see who gets the reference).

 

[Texas84]

Thanks for the links. I tell you this, Id be so stressed out driving in for this from a hotel on the outskirts. One wrong turn or missed turn off the highway, forget it. Just ask Pascual Perez in 1982 (waits to see who gets the reference).

I-285! I did it once just for fun.

It's actually easy to get downtown. Getting out is another story. But yeah, the short walk to the start from the hotel was nice. No stress.

 

[joel_maxwell]

I-285! I did it once just for fun.

It's actually easy to get downtown. Getting out is another story. But yeah, the short walk to the start from the hotel was nice. No stress.

SO TRUE. 30 seconds off the highway and Im in downtown looking for a park, when I leave, it is 30 minutes and half way across the city following the "To I-20" signs.

 

[Texas84]

Oh, forgot the most important thing:

FREE CHOCOLATE MILK AT THE FINISH!