And then there were none.
Bill Thorn, the only person to run every The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race since it began in 1970, will end his streak at 53 years. The 92-year-old Thorn will not run – but will ride – in this year’s race. He will be honored as the race’s grand marshal and be chauffeured down the 6.2-mile course.
Just before the finish at Piedmont Park, Thorn will stop and cross the finish line on foot one more time.
Thorn will have his name engraved on the Peachtree Cup, an honor up until now reserved for race champions. In addition, a signing wall will be available at the Peachtree Health & Fitness Expo where race participants can thank and congratulate Thorn for his efforts over the past five decades.
Of the “Original 110″ finishers in 1970, Thorn and Don Gamel were the only two still running each year through 1992. In 1993, it was down to just Thorn.
In 2019, to mark the 50th running of the Peachtree, Thorn crossed the finish line with, among others, four generations of his family and former Atlanta Track Club executive director Julia Emmons.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Thorn has been completing the race virtually, on a route in his Tyrone neighborhood. For the past few years, as he dealt with balance issues, he began to compete using a walker.
For more on this story, look for Ken Sugiura’s exclusive interview with Thorn online Friday at ajc.com and in print editions on Sunday.
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