5,000 participate in 5th annual PNC Atlanta 10 Miler & 5K

ATLANTA - Runners and walkers enjoyed the fifth annual PNC Atlanta 10 Miler & 5K on Sunday, with more than 5,000 people participating in the event.

The run starts and finishes at Atlantic Station and runs through West Midtown, Buckhead and Midtown. Evan Park of Alpharetta, Georgia, broke the tape for the men in the PNC Atlanta 10 Miler with a 56:57 finish. Park finished fifth last year and developed a strategy going into this year’s race.

“I had a game plan that if there were three miles to go, I’d hit the gas a little bit. Then with a mile and a half left, I saw a guy right behind me and thought it would be a good time to go,” said Park, who enjoyed the new course. “Going down Cardiac Hill [instead of up] was nice but if you’re going to go down hills, you’re going to go up them, too.”

Back to defend her title for the women was Lauren Woodring. The PNC employee once again dominated the women’s field, finishing in 59:54 – more than four minutes ahead of second place finisher Allyson McGinty of Suwanee, Georgia (1:04:05).

“I thought maybe we’d luck out and the new course would be flatter,” laughed Woodring, who is from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. “It’s still challenging, but it was good to come down and enjoy Atlanta since it’s such a beautiful city.”

Atlanta Track Club will donate up to $5,000 to each of the nonprofit organizations involved in the race depending on the level of assistance, participation, and enthusiasm from each group. Additionally, the organization voted “Best of the Best” by event participants will earn a $500 prize.