An Atlanta Independence Day Tradition: the Peachtree Road Race

Independence Day is full of many traditions: backyard barbecues, pool parties, and fun with fireworks. Atlanta, home to InkHead Promotional Products, has another enduring Fourth of July tradition—the Peachtree Road Race.

For the last 40 years, both casual joggers and elite runners alike have gathered in the heart of Atlanta to run a 10-kilometer course that runs through the city. When the first Peachtree Road Race was held in 1970, roughly 110 runners came out to compete. Within the race’s first 10 years, the number of participants ballooned to 25,000. Since then, the race has grown to become one of the world’s largest annual 10 km road races, hosting 60,000 runners and 150,000 spectators in 2011.

While elite athletes and avid runners take the race very seriously, most entrants are there just to have fun and earn bragging rights among their friends and neighbors. Like the race itself, earning the commemorative Custom Printed T-Shirts by finishing within a certain time limit has become part of the tradition, too. Even though running the race and having your time listed in the newspaper or online is impressive, most registrants aspire to finish quickly enough to receive that year’s road race t-shirt.

Here's the very first Peachtree Road Race t-shirt design from 1971.

Here's the winning design for this year's Peachtree Road Race

In fact, the Peachtree Road Race t-shirt has become so important that the design is no longer decided by race sponsors or organizers. Instead, a design contest is now held every year to determine how the shirts will appear, with the winning design only being unveiled at the event itself, further heightening the excitement of finishing the race. Perhaps the garments have become so prized due to their relative scarcity in the race’s early years, where only those that finished first were able to get one. Whatever the reason, Atlantans in the know are always impressed if you have a Peachtree Road Race t-shirt. If interested, check out the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race page to see the t-shirt designs throughout the years.

Indeed, printed t-shirts have become a staple of many road and trail races. If you’re planning a running event, then you should also plan to provide runners with a memento of their participation. After all, custom t-shirts generate pride in the wearer and stoke additional interest in future events. If you have a design in mind or need help creating one, our top-notch art department can assist you in designing a custom t-shirt that will impress runners and spectators alike.

The Bottom Line

Customized T-Shirts to commemorate a road race are coveted items among serious runners and casual ones alike. There are even some folks who will collect shirts from companies simply because they’re conversation pieces. InkHead can help design and print Promotional T-Shirts that will help your company, race, or organization get noticed. Who knows? With the right shirt design, maybe that neighborhood 5K you’re organizing next month will become a city-wide tradition for years to come.

If you need assistance in selecting custom promotional t-shirts or some other Custom Logo Apparel, please call 800-554-0127 between 9 AM and 8 PM ET to speak with a Promotions Specialist.