Labor day race draws 1850 entrants from across Southeast

Runners will take off for the 47th annual Macon Labor Day Road Race this Monday at 7:30 a.m., zipping through downtown Macon all the way to Carolyn Crayton Park.

More than 1850 people so far have entered the 5K and 10K races, making it one of the largest in Middle Georgia and drawing runners from Atlanta and all over the Southeast.

The route has been almost identical since the race’s birth 46 years ago, with the 5k starting at the intersection of Vineville Avenue and Pio Nono Avenue and the 10K starting at RunFit Sports on Forsyth Road. 

Macon Tracks Running Club has been putting on the races since the 70s, when there were almost no 10K races in the Southeast.

F.M. Barron, MTRC’s race director, said races are no longer scarce; 5K and 10K races are held every weekend somewhere in Middle Georgia.

He said the race is “the highlight of the running season” for many Middle Georgia runners, despite the heat. The course is fairly fast, as it’s net downhill, meaning it may be easier for runners to break their personal records.

Nathan Dummitt, a student at Georgia Tech and Macon native, has won the race the past two years. He said the race still has that “small local race feel” despite its status as one of the largest road races in Middle Georgia.

He ran the 5K for the first time when he was 8, and has run it every year since. Now he’s 21 and looking to go for the three-peat. 

“It meant a lot to me, being able to win the big hometown race, especially because running means so much to me,” Dummitt said. “Just having so many family and friends watch me and cheer me on the course as I cross the finish line meant a lot.”

In addition to the 5K and 10K races, there will be a one-mile fun run in the park, designed for kids. 

Entries to the 5K and 10K races are $35 and online and in-person registration is open up until race day. In-person registration is available at OrthoGeorgia on Northside Drive from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 or on race day.

“I’ve never run it, but twice, but I enjoy putting it on and seeing it all coming together,” Barron said. “We have a great team of people.”

The running club is hosting its larger Macon Music Half Marathon in November featuring a new route that will pass through Macon’s historical music sites. Barron said the organizers plan on having bands perform live music along the route.