Alexi Pappas didn't know who handed her the peach, but she was as proud of it – minus one bite — as if it were the trophy for winning the women's open division of the AJC Peachtree Road Race on Saturday.

“I’m really savoring it,” she said. “Most people don’t win a race, and I’m just trying to enjoy the moment.”

Pappas blew away the field in the 10K race, finishing in 33:28. Second-place finisher Nicole DiMercurio finished in 34:02.

This was Pappas’ first time running the Peachtree, but she said she has been in Atlanta on the Fourth of July before because her grandparents and cousins used to live in metro Atlanta.

“It’s sort of a second home for me,” she said. “It’s really a privilege to be here and race on these streets.”

Pappas is more than just a runner. She also does improv comedy and is co-writing two films, “Tall as the Baobab Tree” and “Tracktown,” in which she will also act.

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