John Paul Michalik said his prayers and ate his vitamins before running in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race.

What else would you expect someone dressed up like the wrestler Hulk Hogan to do?

“Absolutely, brother,” Michalik said, flexing his biceps.

Michalik, carrying an American flag, sporting a red bandana and yellow mustache, yellow tights and boots, and a giant wrestling belt, said he dressed up like Hogan because “I’m an American, brother. We are all baptized Hulkamaniacs way back in the 1980s. I’ve been living my life as a Hulkamaniac. What better way to share it.”

Michalik, a contractor who lives in Atlanta, said he has been planning on wearing his costume for a year. The boots came from a thrift store and the wrestling belt from a toy store.

The hardest thing was developing the tan.

“My neighbors are a little bit worried about me laying out in a G-string,” he said.

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Houston County High School football players take the field for a region game against Coffee High School on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. This season, Houston County has outscored its opponents by an average of 26.9 points per game. (Courtesy of hocofootball.com)

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