In the dark hours before dawn on Saturday, in 27 degree weather befitting of the name polar, nearly 5,000 registered runners lined up near Piedmont Park to participate in the inaugural AJC Polar Opposite Peachtree Road Race.
It was cold enough to see breath at the start as runners huddled, rubbing their hands to warm their fingers and jogging in place to keep their muscles from stiffening. By the last few miles of the 10K — which follows the same course as the summertime Peachtree race, only in reverse — runners were sweating, pushing hard up the last incline toward the finish line at Lenox Square.
