Not everyone will be running The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race today.

Kids from across the continent and Hawaii will be in Gwinnett County, warming up to compete in bridge.

Gwinnett County is the site of the inaugural Youth North American Bridge Championship this weekend, drawing young enthusiasts of the card game to the Hilton Atlanta Northeast on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Norcross.

The event kicked off Thursday, with the first day and today set aside for warm-up games. The real competition occurs Saturday and Sunday.

This is the first such national competition for youths, approved only a year ago by the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL). The league approved two years of youth competitions, the second of which will be in Washington, D.C., in 2009.

The youths, who range in age from 6 to 19, are coming to Gwinnett from Canada and 13 U.S. states, including Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Washington state and neighbors from the Southeast. Among the 200 expected, there will be a large delegation from metro Atlanta.

"It's an old wives' tale that bridge is just for old people," said Patty Tucker of Dunwoody, president of Atlanta Junior Bridge, a nonprofit organization that teaches bridge to children at no charge. The organization has taught more than 1,000 youths around metro Atlanta, including Buford, Dunwoody and Alpharetta.

Kids take to bridge because it is exciting, competitive and requires mental muscle, Tucker said.

The youths who will compete this weekend include experienced players with a couple of years under their belts, and newcomers with months worth of experience, Tucker said.