AJC PEACHTREE ROAD RACE / JUNIORS
In a Roswell neighborhood, the sound of footsteps hitting the pavement from the young runner could be heard from outside. Spirited teasing and chuckles from father and son echoed through the tree-lined street. Nine-year-old Carter Blackmon was training for his first Microsoft Peachtree Junior.
Carter is one of hundreds of metro Atlanta children preparing for today’s Peachtree Junior in Piedmont Park, the youth version of the July 4 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. It happens each year on July 2. Kids between the ages of 6-14 compete in the mile-long race. Children from 6 and under compete in a different race, the “Dash,” which is nearly 55 yards long.
About 600 runners have signed up to run in this year’s Peachtree Junior. Children can run in the Fourth of July race if they are 10 or older. Like the big race, the Microsoft Peachtree Junior includes event swag such as a T-shirt and snacks.
Carter, like many boys his age, is competitive. He always would race his friends in gym class. A grin plastered his face when he mentioned beating his fastest friend, Grant, on field day. The kids at school always would say that he was skinny.
In his most recent race, the Strong4Life Superhero Sprint, he came in second place. This time? He wants it to be a different story. Carter said he wants “to be in first, not second.”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Running up and down the block wasn’t the only item on the training regimen. Carter attended a speed-and-agility camp, runs frequently and swims.
What got Carter interested in pounding his Adidas sneakers into the ground was his father, Ronnel Blackmon. Blackmon also runs and would leave early for his Atlanta Track Club race training. Carter noticed that and asked his father for one simple request.
“‘Hey, Dad, can I hop out the car and run the rest of the way home?’” Blackmon recalled.
Carter hopped out of the car and ran through the street. He looked back to find his parents’ car tailing him. Blackmon said it was a real “Rocky” moment. But what mattered the most to him was that Carter was having fun.
From then on, he started to run more consistently. While Carter likes it, his dreams are beyond running in races. He’s more interested in kicking a soccer ball around a field, or scoring a ball through the net. He even plans to pick up football soon. Running, to Carter, helps with both soccer and basketball. The Peachtree Junior is another step in his plan to play both sports.
As for Carter running in the Peachtree Road Race next year, he’s currently at a “maybe.” His eyes lit up hearing that the race was six times as long as the race Sunday.
Carter initially was worried at the prospect of running a 10K. He “barely made it through” the last one, he remarked. The amount of people running the race also worried him. His mother, Tinika, shut down all those worries.
“They don’t matter. It’s all about what you can achieve. You’re capable.”
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