A nonstop two-day treadmill challenge to raise money for the revitalization of the 1996 Olympic warm-up track will soon take place.
The fourth annual Kilometer Kids Charity Chase is scheduled to begin July 1 at 6 p.m., the Atlanta Track Club announced Monday. Kilometer Kids, ATC’s free youth running program, launched in 2007.
In previous years, the challenge has been a team competition between our nation's military branches. Funding went towards Kilometer Kids' effort to increase physical exercise and healthy living for children.
This year, two groups — Team Stars and Team Stripes — will compete in a 48-hour challenge. Each team will designate one person at a time to run on side-by-side treadmills.
The competition will determine who can log the most miles and raise the most money, with all proceeds going towards resurfacing the Cheney Stadium track at Atlanta’s Phoenix Park. The venue served as the warm-up facility for track and field athletes at the 1996 Olympic Games, and today hosts track and field meets for Atlanta Public Schools.
Rich Kenah, Atlanta Track Club’s executive director, said revitalizing the track can provide a resource for the Atlanta community.
“This track is where legendary track and field athletes such as Dan O’Brien, Michael Johnson, Gwen Torrence and Gail Devers prepared to win their gold medals,” Kenah said in the statement.
Contestants include Kenah, Mercedes-Benz Stadium general manager Scott Jenkins, the 2014 AJC Peachtree Road Race champion Christo Landry and Olympian Carrie Tollefson. The winner of the first AJC Peachtree Road Race and Olympian Jeff Galloway will also compete.
The event will take place at the Peachtree Health & Fitness Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center. The 2017 AJC Peachtree Road Race will be held July 4.
People can donate to the team of their choosing either online here, or by texting KKCC to 444-999.
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