Atlanta's Thanksgiving Half Marathon Has No Race-Day Signup

Races get underway outside Center Parc Stadium on Thanksgiving morning. The half marathon starts at 8:00 a.m., followed by the 5K at 8:30 and the mile at 8:40. For the youngest runners, the kids dash splits into two heats: ages 3 and under start at 9:00 a.m., and ages 4 through 6 start at 9:15. The half and 5K courses wind through Summerhill and Grant Park, billed as the largest Thanksgiving half marathon in the country. The longer races finish on Georgia Avenue beside the stadium while the dash runs in the adjacent festival lot, keeping families together in one complex. Half marathoners have three hours and 30 minutes to finish.

Entry costs climb on a tiered schedule. The half marathon is currently 140 dollars through November 16, then steps up to 150 at number pickup, with online processing fees calculated at checkout. The 5K costs 50 dollars through November 20 and 55 at pickup. Onsite registration at number pickup runs until the event sells out, and the club says this one does sell out. A Charity Wave entry costs 200 dollars for the half, with 150 of it going to Kilometer Kids, the club's youth running program.

Numbers come from Atlantic Station at 260 18th Street NW, open November 21 and 22 from 8 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, and November 25 from 8 to 5. Race morning pickup needs Will Call, bought by 7 p.m. on November 25 for 20 dollars a number. There is no registration on race morning. Limited free parking is available in the Orange, Blue, Green and Grey lots; the club asks runners to arrive an hour early. The half is open to ages 14 and up, the 5K to 8 and up. Mary Mac's Tea Room, three miles away on Ponce de Leon Avenue, serves 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day instead of its usual 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.