Atlanta Beltline Kicks Off Running Series

The Atlanta Beltline kicks off its running series this Saturday at 8 a.m. with the Atlanta Beltline Northside 5K. The race will begin and end in Tanyard Creek Park, located on Collier Road.

The race is the inaugural of the Atlanta Beltline running series, which will feature two more races later this year: the Southwest 5K on July 16 and the Eastside 10K on Dec. 3.

There’s no better way to start off a running series than with challenging course. The Northside 5K is expected to be one of the trickier tracks, even for experienced racers. Because of course constraints,  participation is going to be limited to 500, with limited spots remaining, organizers said.

"The goal of the running series is to eventually have enough terrain to be able to do a Beltline marathon," said Richard Lutch, Director or Finanace and Administation for Atlanta Beltline Inc. "This first series has three races, and next year we will have four. We are building up to more and more races and want to extend the runs even further."

Atlantans can run or walk in the 5K, but pets are not allowed on the course due to the constricted space of the track. Participants can walk with strollers, and will be able to start after the runners and walkers.

"This is a really unique course for our first race in the series," said Dan Popovich, director of the race committee. "It stays mainly on the Beltline, and it goes past Bobby Jones Gold Course, which is kind of neat. It is a really great way to showcase the Beltline. There's a really cool bridge they'll get to run underneath, and there could be a lot of two-way traffic, which is why we had to limit the number of participants."

The gorgeous course winds 3.1 miles through Tanyard Creek Park up and down rolling neighborhood hills. There are several steep inclines as well as a 94-foot canopied bridge, which can hold about three people wide.

 “There are definitely trickier portions and hairpin turns on this course,” said Will Cramer, general manager of the West Stride shoes, the event’s title sponsor. “It’s a great course, though, and shows off the scenery of the beltline. It will help that they are limiting the number of participants.”

Parking is going to be limited and race directors urge participants to carpool over to the park. There are four possible parking places: Brookwood Heights at Ardmore Park, the Reserve at City Park, 1176 Peachtree St., and Bitsy Grant Tennis Center. Runners should arrive no later than 7:30 a.m. to pick up the race packets and bibs. On-site registration will be $30, if any spots remain, and advanced registration is still going on for $25.

West Stride owner Genie Beaver got involved with the series to show support for the Atlanta Beltline’s project to create a path uniting neighborhoods in Atlanta. The Beltline aims to create a path linking southwest Atlanta, Midtown and west Buckhead. A similar project has already been created linking Piedmont Park to DeKalb Avenue.

“Genie wanted to get more involved with the Beltline because of the proposed path,” Cramer said. “We really want to promote growth of the beltline, so we’ve been working with them for a while.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Atlanta Beltline Partnership, which supports the work of the Atlanta Beltline.

The Atlanta Beltline is a $3 billon-plus redevelopment project to create a transit loop around the city. The Beltline is also creating a series of paths that will run alongside the transit loop. There will be 22 miles of trails around the transit and 11 miles of spur trails linking the trails together. Additionally, the Beltline is creating 1,300 acres of new parks for the city.

Awards will be given to the top male and female overall runner, as well as the top male and female runner in each age group.

In addition to the traditional age categories, the Beltline has added a competitive category for local media outlets to compete against one another. News anchors, newspaper reporters and radio DJs will have a chance for ultimate bragging rights in the media category. At the next race in the series, race director Dan Popovich plans on pitting the Atlanta Fire Department against the Atlanta Police Department.

"There are so many cool things we can do with this series," Popovich said. "This time we are trying to generate awareness by having members of the local media race against one another. We have a lot of cool things planned for the next two races in July and December as well. Since it's a race series, there are a lot of unique things we can do with this."

For more information or to register for the race go to http://run.beltline.org.