Buckhead Runner Defends Women's Masters Title

Buckhead resident Stephanie Herbst-Lucke on Monday won her second straight women's masters' title in the Peachtree Road Race, finishing with a time of 33:29.

Herbst-Lucke, 45, also was the 10th overall women's finisher in the race and was the second American. Here is a Buckhead Patch on the runner, who lives in Chastain Park and whose three children attend .

The 42nd annual Peachtree Road Race filled the Lenox Square area with runners and spectators Monday morning, giving the heart of Buckhead a festive spirit.

Runners battled the heat and humidity, with runners suffering cramps and dehydration, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The temperature at the 7:30 a.m. start of the race was 74 degrees. According to The AJC, 28 runners sought hospital care and 269 others needed medical attention at the finish line.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, the race's honorary starter, waved the red flag, and the elite runners were off, dashing down the field. Following them, waves of runners stretching all the way down to Wieuca Road came to the starting line for their turn at heading down the course.

A total of 60,000 runners, the biggest field ever with the addition of 5,000 participants, made the world's largest 10K even more of a spectacle. Runners in the red, white and blue stirred the patriotic spirit.

A group of young runners from West Georgia University used body paint to portray themselves as eagles, entertaining the crowd by flapping their arms and squawking. They wore yellow eagles' beaks.

For a photo gallery from further along the course in the race, see this link from Midtown Patch. http://patch.com/A-jSB2

For finish line photos, see this Midtown Patch link. http://patch.com/A-jSMF