It's the world's largest 10-kilometer race, and it must be among the world's best attended.
So if you plan on either running or watching the AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4, expect company and congestion.
Some suggestions on how to get places on race day:
Road closings
• At the start of the race:
The starting area around Lenox Mall will be closed to traffic from about 5 a.m. until about 11 a.m.
The race course down Peachtree closes to traffic at 6:30 a.m., a few minutes before the start of the wheelchair race. It will open after the last runners make their way. The last time group is scheduled to leave the start line just before 9 a.m.
• At the finish area, 10th Street is closed from West Peachtree Street to Monroe Drive. Peachtree is closed down to 8th Street, and 8th is closed from Monroe to Charles Allen Drive.
Those streets should be closed until about 1 p.m.
Get on the train
The best way to get to the start and finish areas is MARTA. To get to the start, runners can get off at either the Buckhead or Lenox stations. Before the race, expect to be packed in Tokyo subway tight.
At the finish area, the Midtown stop is on 10th, about a block west of Peachtree.
The Arts Center station is one stop north of Midtown, and right along Peachtree. Spectators can line Peachtree near the Woodruff Arts Center to cheer runners laboring through Mile 5.
A one-way fare is $1.75 plus a 50-cent charge for a Breeze ticket (or $5 for a permanent Breeze card, which includes two fares).
Parking is free for the first 24 hours at all MARTA parking facilities.
Behind the wheel
If you want to drive to a spot on the race, streets running into Peachtree will be open from the east and west. From Piedmont Avenue east of the race course, Pharr Road, East Wesley Road and Lindbergh Drive are arteries in Buckhead leading up to Peachtree, although parking should be scarce. Parking is available at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church at the corner of Peachtree and East Wesley.
From the west, West Paces Ferry, West Wesley Road, Peachtree Battle Avenue and Collier Road are streets spectators can access from Northside Drive and I-75 in Buckhead.
Closer to the finish area, the Atlantic Station parking decks will be open, and a shuttle is available to Peachtree. Parking is free for the first two hours and incrementally increases after that.
At the race finish, there is some street parking in the neighborhood off of Monroe Drive, but expect it to be tight.
At the finish
For spectators or runners trying to meet up at the end of the race, the track club will set up balloons in the meadow printed with letters on them as meeting points. Runners should also know that the sponsor tents, which in years past had been set up on the hill just west of the meadow, will be on the gravel parking lot next to the Park Tavern.
Good places to watch
• Jesus Junction at Mile 2 — the intersection of Peachtree and East and West Wesley, where the Rev. Sam Candler of the Cathedral of St. Philip sprinkles holy water on passing runners.
• "Cardiac Hill" — the climb up Peachtree at Piedmont Hospital and the Shepherd Center at the race's halfway point.
• Colony Square — In the fifth mile, runners flow through Ansley Park and past the High Museum after crossing over I-85. The straightaway and slight incline give spectators an opportunity to ingest the seemingly unending parade of runners.
• The turn onto 10th Street — It's a great place to see the exhilaration of runners turning onto the homestretch in the last mile. It's one of the most popular spots on the course.
If you're going to watch
• Wear sunscreen and a hat
• Red, white and blue is a popular combination
• Bring something cool to drink, and maybe a lawn chair and a cowbell.
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