Move For Grady: How to prep for April’s ride, run, walk extravaganza

Move For Grady is just around the corner. Grady Hospital’s iconic annual fundraiser — a big ride/run/walk event — kicks off April 27 at a new location in the heart of downtown Atlanta.

Grady Health Foundation president Joselyn Baker recently sat down with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to talk about everything participants need to know this year.

“Move For Grady was created to help Grady build a broader base of support in the community and it’s been really thrilling to watch it grow and see more people sign on and get excited about it,” she said. “It’s cool to see this idea come to life and continue to expand and bring so many people to Grady that wouldn’t have been connected before.”

Ride

Cycling is where the rubber meets the road at Move For Grady. And with 5½-mile, 20-mile and 62-mile biking opportunities, Grady is offering a lot of ways to go the distance this year.

The 20-mile and 62-mile biking routes are open to local traffic, and all participants must follow the rules of the road — that means helmets are mandatory. The 5½-mile route, however, will take place on a closed and protected lane.

All routes will begin and end at Georgia State University’s Center Parc Stadium, but are subject to slight changes depending on road conditions on event day.

For detailed route maps, including featured elevations for each event, visit here.

Run/walk

If you want to participate at Move For Grady without kicking those old bike tires, you’re not alone. The running and walking portions of the fundraiser have grown in popularity in the past years, and they are showing up in a big way this time around.

“We started with about 950 in year one and over 1,500 people last year,” Baker said, explaining how Move For Grady has exploded in popularity over the past years. It’s that growth that has made Move For Grady’s 5ks, 10ks and every run/walk opportunity in between possible.

“It’s been great to, year over year, see more people choosing to participate,” she continued. “We added our run/walk a couple of years ago. Some people told us ’I want to participate, but I don’t have a bicycle,’ or ‘I’m not a bike rider, but I’ll come do a 5k. I’ll come do a 10k.’

“And so (we’re) really trying to just increase access and opportunity to this event so that, for everybody who wants to do something to help Grady, there’s a way for them to do it.”

According to Move For Grady’s website, the 1-mile downhill dash, 5k and 10k run/walk routes might change slightly depending on race day conditions. Detailed course maps featuring elevations and planned routes can be found here.

Directions

Move For Grady is back in downtown Atlanta this year, so previous participants will need new directions to the event. The fundraiser has partnered with Georgia State University to bring the event to the heart of the city, and it’s a big move that comes with some big perks.

Credit: Move For Grady

Credit: Move For Grady

“We’ve got easy access from where we are,” Baker said. “People can take a bus or take the train to the station. We’ve got a lot of people who are running, so that’s easy to do. But even for people on bikes, MARTA certainly accommodates bicycles.

“One of the things we want to do with this event is make it something that is very friendly and easy for people to be part of. We want it to be as easy as possible for people to come out and make this investment in supporting Grady.”

For 2024, Move For Grady will be at Georgia State University’s Center Parc Stadium, 755 Hank Aaron Drive SE, Atlanta 30315. Directions can be found here.

Packet pick up

April 20-26, Move For Grady will offer early packet pick up at numerous locations throughout metro Atlanta.

Participants can wait and pick up their packets on the day of the event, too, beginning at 6 a.m. at Center Parc Stadium. Onsite pickup will close once activities are underway. Coordinators advise participants to arrive early if waiting until April 27.

Registration

Registration is as easy as visiting moveforgrady.com. It is important to note, however, the fee changes depending on when you sign up and what you sign up for.

Virtual routes are an exception. All virtual rides, runs or walks are $45 to register through April 26.

Still have questions?

If you still have questions about how to prepare for Move For Grady 2024, visit moveforgrady.com/faqs. You can also message support@moveforgrady.com.