ATLANTA — The countdown is on to the Peachtree Road Race, and thousands of runners are making final preparations. With extreme heat expected, organizers are urging everyone to have a plan before they head to the starting line.
“We’ve been running in the heat, so we’ve been preparing in the morning, so we’re pretty ready for it,” participant Irene Savini told Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter.
The race is starting under a red flag heat alert, which means dangerous heat and humidity are expected. And race officials are urging people to slow their pace, stay hydrated and listen to their bodies. The color-coded system ranges from green for good conditions to yellow for moderate, red for high risk, and black for a cancellation.
“We will probably just walk the rest of the way if it happens because the reality is there’s not a lot of options of how to get back,” shared runner Lynn Savini.
According to the Atlanta Track Club’s website, they will keep runners informed of the alert levels via email, texts and social media, as well as updating flags along the race route. If a black flag does go up, runners are advised to stop running.
“I don’t want anyone to be hurt, so they have to do what they have to do,” shared participant Calvin Thorbourne.
Race officials say temperatures at the start will be close to 80 but feel like conditions could climb near 90 degrees as waves progress through the morning.
“Don’t rush. … There’s no need to rush. Just have fun," added runner Juliana Btancur.
The 6.2-mile race begins at Lenox Square and ends at Piedmont Park with waves starting shortly before 6:15 a.m. on Saturday.
Race officials say they’ll continue to monitor conditions and could adjust alert levels up until race time.
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