The 2024 5K and family fun run Pound the Pavement (PPP) was a huge success. Held on March 23, the race drew 820 participants, including 26 in-chair athletes (who are supported by push-assist runners) and 70 individuals in the Special Assist division.

 

The race raised over $210,000 for four charities that benefit children with disabilities and medical fragilities. The 2024 recipient charities were: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Medically Complex Care Facility, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (Dr. Joe Hacia), The Kyle Pease Foundation, and Extra Special People.

 

This year was the 15th anniversary of the race, founded by Stovall Boulevard residents Matt and Anne Park in tribute to their son Peter. Peter was born with Peroxisomal Disorder and passed away in 2010 just before his fourth birthday. The race committee includes a junior executive board of 15 students in grades 10 through 12 who would have been Peter’s peers, and a junior committee made up of 42 sixth through ninth graders.

 

PPP begins and ends in the Capital City Club parking lot, with participants running 3.1 miles around the golf course. Java Joy, a mobile coffee cart that employs adults with disabilities, provided coffee and hot chocolate. Chick-fil-A served chicken biscuits. Members of the race’s junior committee greeted runners at the finish line and a DJ roused the crowd to line dancing and other activities.