Mosinet Geremew of Ethiopia won the 44th Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race on Thursday.
Competing in drizzly conditions, Geremew finished the 6.2-mile course in 28:04. Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya won the women’s division in 32:07.
The race hadn’t been run in the rain since 1994. The race started at 7:17 a.m. at Lenox Square under yellow-flag conditions signifying exercise caution because of the weather. The start-time temperature was 70 degrees. The top American finishers were Ryan Hall and Janet Cherobon-Bawcom.
Geremew failed to match the best time in Peachtree history of 27:04, set by Kenya’s Joseph Kimani in 1996. The best women’s time is 30:32, set by Kenya’s Lornah Kiplagat in 2002.
Josh Cassidy of Toronto won the men’s wheelchair division. He finished the 6.2-mile course in 21:14. He also won in 2010. Manuela Schar won the women’s wheelchair division in 25:43. This was her first win at the Peachtree.
Cassidy said he almost didn’t enter the race because United Airlines lost his wheelchair going from a race in Birmingham back home to Toronto last week.
He just reclaimed the chair Wednesday night in the Toronto airport.
He had already cancelled his flight to Atlanta. After reclaiming his chair, he booked a new flight last night and arrived near midnight. He got three hours of sleep.
Cassidy said he pieced together an old chair, but said it would be like competing in “old running shoes.”
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