Atlanta City Games: Free event showcases top track talent and local stars

Atlanta City Games brings athletes from around the world

The fastest runners in the world are sprinting their way toward Atlanta. Piedmont Park will host the Atlanta city games. It’ll feature Olympic athletes from around the world and right here in Georgia.

ATLANTA - Some of the fastest runners on the planet are headed to Atlanta this weekend as Piedmont Park prepares to host the Atlanta City Games, a world-class track event featuring Olympic athletes from across the globe and right here in Georgia.

Set on a specially built 200-meter straightaway in the park’s meadows, the event will showcase top-tier track and field talent, including 2024 Olympian Anna Hall and world-class hurdler Tia Jones, a Marietta native and Walton High School alumna.

What they're saying:

"I’m really excited," said Hall, a silver-medal heptathlete and former University of Georgia standout. "We want to put on a great show."

The Atlanta Track Club, which is organizing the event, says the temporary track was constructed with precision and care, using imported Italian mondo rubber and tons of steel to ensure an elite-level competition surface.

"If you were here all week you would see the tons and tons of steel and tons and tons of mondo rubber from Italy that were brought in to create this perfectly level 200-meter straightaway," said Rich Kenah, CEO of the Atlanta Track Club and a bronze medalist at the 1997 World Championships. "The whole point of this is to bring Olympic track and field to the people."

What we know:

The Atlanta City Games, which begin at 8 a.m. Saturday and run through 10 a.m., will also include races for up-and-coming athletes, a kids’ mile, and a high school track meet at Midtown High School.

"It’s a lot of fun every time, so I’m really excited to be back in Atlanta," said Hall.

For Jones, the hometown event carries special meaning. "It always feels good to come back and run for my city," she said.

Kenah echoed the significance of the event’s location. "Atlanta is an Olympic city," he said, referencing the city’s legacy as host of the 1996 Summer Olympics.

What's next:

The Atlanta City Games is free and open to the public.