ING Georgia Marathon
2008 Recap
Thanks to strong community support and participation, Decatur won second place in the ING cheering section competition. The $5,000 check goes to the Decatur Education Foundation and will be used by the Athletic Booster Club and Carter Wilson for sports and fitness programs for Decatur students.
This is the second year for the ING Marathon and Decatur folks turned out in droves. In addition to those who helped cheer the runners at the official cheering section, more than 100 volunteers helped staff Decatur’s two official hydration stations.
We also doubled the amount of Burma Shave signs placed on the route through Decatur. Plenty of folks gathered along the way – including in front of both the Methodist and Baptist churches – to provide a continuous cheering section all the way through Decatur.
Congratulations to Agnes Scott College, which staffed a hydration station on the Agnes Scott campus. They won the College Challenge and $2,500 to be donated to the charity of their choice.
We are proud to be on the official route of the ING Marathon and look forward to participating again next year.
2008 ING Marathon
Sunday, March 30
Make plans now to be a part of the cheering section or the hydration stations for the ING Georgia Marathon. A portion of the race will come through Decatur.
Interested volunteers should visit the ING Georgia Marathon website or click here to sign up with one of the Decatur Groups.*
*A password is needed to sign up. For the City of Decatur/Oakhurst and the City of Decatur hydration stations, the password is cod. For the Agnes Scott hydration station, the password is asc. Passwords should be typed in lower case letters.
Street Closings
A number of streets in Decatur will be partially or fully closed for a couple of hours on Sunday morning during the race. For a detailed route, visit www.inggeorgiamarathon.com.
| Street |
Lanes for Runners |
Closed |
Open |
| W. College Ave. |
1-2 Lanes on left side of road against traffic |
7:40 a.m. |
11:04 a.m. |
| Agnes Scott Loop Rd. |
Entire Road |
7:50 a.m. |
11:04 a.m. |
| E. College Ave. |
1-2 Lanes on left side of road against traffic |
7:50 a.m. |
11:04 a.m. |
| Commerce Dr. |
1 Lane on left side of road against traffic |
7:50 a.m. |
11:04 a.m. |
| E. Ponce de Leon Ave. |
1 Lane on right side of road with traffic |
7:50 a.m. |
11:21 a.m. |
| Clairemont Ave. |
1 Lane on right side of road with normal traffic |
7:55 a.m. |
11:21 a.m. |
>Decatur ING Marathon map (PDF)
Cheering Section
The ING Marathon Committee has four official cheering sections designated along the route – three in Atlanta and one in Decatur. Decatur’s official cheering section will be in Fellini’s parking lot across from the Ice House Lofts. All the official cheering sections will be judged and three cash prizes will be awarded to the three best. We would like to extend our official cheering section to the entire route and enthusiastically support the runners from the time they cross the city limits to the time they leave. The idea is to “Paint the Route Orange” (ING’s official colors are orange and blue) with people wearing orange and cheering all along the route.
Decatur won the $10,000 Neighborhood Challenge award in 2007, thanks to the community’s support. Help us do the same this year!
Hydration Stations
Decatur will have three hydration stations – one as you enter the city limits on College Avenue (Oakhurst), one on the Agnes Scott College campus, and one near downtown (on Commerce Drive).
To volunteer and qualify for at T-shirt, you must register through the ING website. Go to www.inggeorgiamarathon.com to sign up. You will need a password, and the password for the City of Decatur Hydration Stations is cod (lower case).
We also need captains for each of the hydration stations. Michael Harbin has agreed to be the captain for the downtown station.
If you are interested in participating in the event and/or being put on the email list, call 404-371-8386 or email Cheryl Burnette for details. Neighborhood groups, businesses, residents, organizations, churches, anyone and everyone are invited to participate! If Decatur wins, the money will be donated to the Decatur Education Foundation for sports and fitness programs.
2007 ING Marathon
The March 2007 event drew enthusiastic support from the Decatur community.
>Click for photo highlights
Decatur Wins ING Cheering Prize
Thanks to our community’s outstanding participation in the ING Georgia Marathon cheering sections in March, the city of Decatur won first place – $10,000. Many thanks to all who came out in orange to cheer the runners along the route, and to those who brought instruments, music, signs, doughnuts, and more!
ING requires that the money go to a non-profit organization to support sports and fitness programs. Decatur will give the check to the Decatur Education Foundation to use to support the good work of Athletic Director Carter Wilson and the Decatur Bulldog Athletic Booster Club. The money will fund a wide variety of athletic team costs at Decatur High School and Renfroe Middle School that cannot be paid for with public dollars.
This was a great inaugural event and we look forward to participating again next year.
Marathon Highlights
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The cheering section at Avery Street and E. College Avenue |
The cheering section on Commerce Drive |
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Elite runners are cheered along |
A runner high-fives the cheering section |
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Enthusiastic supporters go all out in orange |
An impromptu pep band makes some noise |
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The voume of runners begins to pick up |
Mr. Incredible tempers his pace |
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More runners high-five the cheering section |
Mayor Bill Floyd greets the runners |
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A pack of runners heads up Commerce Drive |
Runners stream down E. Ponce de Leon Avenue |
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Runners head toward the downtown cheering section |
Runners approach the downtown square |
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A pack of runners on Ponce |
Chatting on the run |
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The cheering section awaits a pack of runners |
Runners head north on Clairemont Avenue
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