74-year-old Peachtree Road racer will extend his streak

Some of the runners are here to win, others want to extend their streak.

Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen was at the finish line at the 10th Street entrance to Piedmont Park Monday ahead of Tuesday morning’s race.

The list of runners who have participated in the race for decades is a long one. That list includes 74-year-old Bill Adams. His first Peachtree Road Race was in 1975.

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Adams says even when you start out small, there’s no telling how far you can go.

“It started out with doing one, then two. I said I think I can do maybe five,” Adams said.

Bill will have completed 49 Peachtree Road Races come Tuesday morning.

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“This is a tradition that has gotten handed down from one generation to the next,” Race Director Rich Kenah said.

Kanah predicts 50,000 participants in the annual 10K, which is 10,000 more than a year ago. A huge crowd of runners attended the Peachtree Health and Fitness Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center Monday, and they got the chance to meet some of the top elite athletes in this year’s race.

“I’m just really excited to be able to race at home. I definitely felt a lot of hometown support last year, which is awesome,” pro runner and Roswell native Emma Grace Hurley said.

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Adams feels the same way. His fans are rooting for him to add to his streak, and to his Peachtree Road Race t-shirt collection.

“It started out year to year. I think it’ll finish year to year. I’d like to do 50 next year. After that, we’ll see how I feel,” Adams said.

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