Marathon Weekend Guide: Olympic Trials Road Closures, Places To Watch And More
Runners train for the Olympic marathon trials, taking place in Atlanta on Feb. 29.
On the last weekend of this month, Atlanta is going to host the Olympic Marathon Trials. That same weekend the city will also see the Publix Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K. Both events will take place in and around Centennial Olympic Park. We all know what that means: Gear up for road closures.
The trials, held on Feb. 29 at noon, will see hundreds of men and women vying to represent the U.S. in the Olympic marathon competition in Tokyo (the top three men and the top three women will be Olympics bound). The whole event is being put on by the Atlanta Track Club, with the 26.2-mile course winding through Atlanta neighborhoods and including a 2.2-mile final loop that runs under the Rings and Torch structure from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
The Olympic torch will also be relit for the duration of the race.
The Publix races take place on Mar. 1 at 7 a.m., with a starting line in Centennial Olympic Park.
There are plenty of places to watch, and a few other events for fans for what the Track Club is calling “America’s Marathon Weekend.” Get info on road closures and more below.
Trials Road Closures
Downtown/Centennial Olympic Park Area from 7:00 am – 4 pm.
- Marietta Street from Ivan Allen Jr Blvd to Peachtree Street
- Andrew Young International Blvd from Centennial Olympic Park Drive to Marietta Street
Peachtree Street from 7th Street to 14th Street from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm,
- North & Southbound traffic beginning at 9:00 am and will remain closed until 3:30 pm.
Main race loop – Full road closures from 11:00 am – 3:30 pm.
- Forsyth Street from Marietta Street to Peachtree Street
- Walton Street from Peachtree Street to Forsyth Street
- Peachtree Street from Forsyth to S. Rhodes Center/Peachtree Circle
- Ralph McGill Blvd. from Peachtree Street to Piedmont Road
- Piedmont Avenue to Baker-Highland Avenue
- Highland Avenue from Piedmont Avenue to Jackson Blvd.
- Jackson Blvd. from Highland Avenue to Edgewood Avenue
- Edgewood Avenue from Jackson Street to Marietta Street
Lower race loop – Full road closures from 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm.
- Piedmont Avenue to Capitol Avenue
- Capitol Avenue SE from Piedmont Road to Fulton Street and one block south of Fulton
- Martin Luther King Jr Drive SW to Centennial Olympic Park Drive
- Centennial Olympic Park Drive from Martin Luther King Jr Drive SW to Andrew Young Intl Blvd
Interstate exit ramp closures from 11:00 am – 3:30 pm
- I-85/75 northbound – 249B (Pine St/Peachtree Street)
- I-85/75 northbound – 248B (Edgewood Ave)
- I-20 westbound – 58A (Capitol Ave)
MARTA will also be rerouting some buses on race day, and the streetcar will not be in service from 10:00 am to 4 pm.
Publix Marathon, Half Marathon And 5K Course info
Get info about road closures here and here.
Places To Watch
The Track Club said they’ve designed the course for the trials for “maximum crowd support.” That means it’s loaded with places to watch and cheer. There are even bars and restaurants along the course offering marathon specials on the day of the trials. Check out the map below for more information.
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