Atlanta’s pro franchises team for virtual 5K to benefit civil rights center

Runners make their way down Peachtree Road during the 50th AJC Peachtree Road Race on Thursday, July 4, 2019. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Runners make their way down Peachtree Road during the 50th AJC Peachtree Road Race on Thursday, July 4, 2019. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Atlanta’s professional sports teams will take part in a virtual 5K run to raise money for social-justice education, it was announced Thursday. The Atlanta Track Club announced the One Team ATL 5K in partnership with the Braves, Dream, Falcons, Hawks and United to benefit the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

The virtual run will held July 11-12. Registration is open with a $30 fee. Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. July 10.

“We are honored to be working with such great partners to come together and use our collective voice to put a spotlight on racism and inequality,” Atlanta Track Club Executive Director Rich Kenah said in a statement. “Atlanta’s sports fans are the best in the world and even better when we are all on the same team. We are excited to make a difference together here in Running City USA.”

Participants will receive a T-shirt featuring the logos of all five Atlanta sports teams as well as a commemorative race bib, motivational and inspirational messages from Atlanta’s sports stars and mascots and a custom playlist. After running a 5K on a course of their choosing, participants can upload their results to Atlanta Track Club’s website to see how they compared with their fellow runners.

Here is what Atlanta’s professional sports teams had to say about the event in released statements:

"The Atlanta Braves are honored to come together as a unified group with the other Atlanta professional sports teams and we love that fans of each team are uniting as well by participating in the One Team ATL virtual 5K. In this unprecedented time of understanding and change, we are proud to join and unite against injustices here and around the world. Best of luck to all participants and many thanks to the Atlanta Track Club for their continued support of our community." - Derek Schiller, President and CEO, Atlanta Braves

"The Dream and our fans are humbled to do our part by creating awareness around social justice through the One Team ATL 5K with other professional sports teams in Atlanta. The Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta helps us to connect the American Civil Rights movement to the struggles of the Global Human Rights Movement. By participating in this cause, we can raise both money and awareness together." – Chris Sienko, President and General Manager, Atlanta Dream

"We are proud to join hands with our fellow Atlanta sports organizations to serve our metro Atlanta community during this trying time. Today, more than ever, we need to stand together as a community and speak out against all social injustices across America. Sports has a very loud voice, especially when we all let our voices be heard together to support meaningful change. We wish all One Team ATL virtual 5K participants good luck and we thank the Atlanta Track Club for continuing their partnership and support in our community." - Steve Cannon, CEO, AMB Sports + Entertainment

"We look forward to teaming up with the Braves, Dream, Falcons, and United as well as Atlanta Track Club to unite the city of Atlanta around this virtual event to take stand for social justice during this time of social distancing. Black Lives Matter and this will be a great opportunity for fans to participate in a healthy activity and raise money for The Center for Civil and Human Rights as they continue programs that support education and meaningful change in our city." - Melissa Proctor, Chief Marketing Officer, Atlanta Hawks