Peachtree Road Race organizers plan to run race as scheduled

ATLANTA - As conditions in Georgia continue to change daily in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the Atlanta Track Club is planning for the 2020 Peachtree Road Race to happen as scheduled on July 4.

Registration opened March 15 and will continue until March 31, unless the field is not full when registration is set to close, according to Rich Kenah, executive director of Atlanta Track Club and race director of the AJC Peachtree Road Race.

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"If we see significant weakness and down the road, we see the opportunity where the sky is brighening a bit, where the outlook is strong, and we see the opportunity to bring people into the conversation who otherwise have been in the past, we'll evaluate that," Kenah told FOX 5.

Kenah said 2020 registration numbers in the first few days were better than all other years past besides 2019, which was the 50th anniversary race. There has been "a little bit of a slowdown" over the last week, but overall he estimated the registration total as of Wednesday morning to be in the "tens of thousands of people."

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"About 20 percent of those who enter the lottery during the registration period do so during the last 48 hours, so over those last couple days, we'll have a true indication of the appetite for Atlanta for this year's (Peachtree)," he said.

If the race is postponed, Kenah said participants will be able to transfer their registration to a new date or request a refund.

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"What I would say to those on the fence: Register now if you believe if the event happens, you want to participate," he said. "And if it does not, we will make sure we communicate with you and give you those options."