ATLANTA — Runners from all over flocked to The Peach State to participate in the Publix Atlanta Marathon weekend.
About 10,000 runners and walkers of all ages participated in various events this weekend, ranging from the Public Atlanta 5K, Publix Atlanta Kids Marathon and the USATF Masters 5 km Championships, according to a release by the Atlanta Track Club.
In terms of Sunday's Publix Atlanta Marathon and half-marathon, almost 6,000 people crossed the finish line at The Home Depot Backyard. Among the winners were a pair of high school coaches, a world-class ultramarathoner and a former Georgia state high school track champion.
For the men, 25-year-old Robert Pederson Jr was the first to cross the finish line in the marathon. Pederson hails from Santa Rosa, California, and had a time of 2:28:58. He's a high school coach and said this is his first victory at this distance.
According to the Atlanta Track Club, when Pederson was asked if the win would garner more credibility with his own athletes, he laughed and said that he hoped it would.
"But seriously, I hope the kids find some inspiration in it," he said.
Michele Yates, 41, won for the women. She is a four-time USATF National Team member in mountain and trail running who has represented Team USA in the World Championships. The Colorado resident said it was her first true marathon in 15 years and one of the few races she has competed in for the past five years as she dealt with health issues, including surgery on both hips.
Yates showed range in her athletic abilities by finishing 4th in Saturday's USATF Masters 5 km Championships.
But a moment for the history books goes to Team George Darden, as the team won the first-ever Public Atlanta Marathon Relay with a time of 2:40:15.
The men's winner for the half-marathon goes to 39-year-old Tim Seeley of Duluth in 1:10:32. He was able to get motivation from hearing his athletes from Lambert High School in Forsyth County cheer him on all the way as he crossed the finish line and broke the tape. He also had support from his three daughters -- all under the age of 10 -- who greeted him at the end of the race.
"I'm a transplant from Philadelphia three years ago," he said. "This is right up my alley."
The half marathon winner for the women had a strong Georgia high school connection. It went to 30-year-old Dylan Hassett, who was a two-time GHSA 6A champion at 3,200 meters for Alpharetta High School. Hassett is also a former Atlanta Track Club All-Metro athlete.
Hassett won with a time of 1:13:14 -- almost 6 minutes ahead of the runner-up. It was also a time that was bettered by only four men that day, according to a release.
"It feels good," she said. "I feel grown up."
Hassett, who ran in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, said she hadn't raced competitively in the last few years because she was focused on her studies. She just finished graduate school in Rhode Island to become a physician's assistant.
"As I'm getting back in the racing world, this was a nice rust-buster," she said.
Russell Pelchat of Adairsville won the non-binary division, while Cougar Clifford won the push-assist division as part of the Kyle Pease Foundation team of athletes. Earning 1st in the inaugural 2nd Half Marathon, where people opted to compete on the second half of the marathon course, were Dan McCarthy, 39, and Courtney Naser, 28, of Atlanta. McCarthy had a time of 1:26:57, and Naser won with 1:33:45.
In the midst of all these athletes was a woman who completed her 100th half-marathon in 2:18:13. Carol Mulderink, 60, said she ran her first-ever half-marathon in Chicago in 1999 alongside her husband. Her spouse was also able to cross the line with her again for this monumental race.
"It's nice to hit the milestone, but it doesn't mean I'm retired," she stated.