Wesley Branch
AthHalf participant and fourth-year University of Georgia student, Luke Vukmaravich (left) with his family in Parma, Italy, in July 2022. Luke speaks on his excitement and motivation to partake in the race this year below. (Photo/Luke Vukmaravich)
The 14th annual AthHalf will take place this Sunday morning in Athens as participants will race through the historic districts of the city, downtown and the University of Georgia campus. The AthHalf will also feature the event’s seventh annual 5K on Saturday afternoon.
This year’s AthHalf is sold out, with over 3,000 participants registered.
The event is put together each year by AthFest Educates, a local nonprofit organization. The proceeds from the race go toward funding music and arts education programs for K-12 youth in Athens.
Along with AthFest Educates, there are several sponsors for this year’s race including Fleet Feet Athens. Owner Dustin Shinholser, has partnered with AthHalf for multiple years now.
“You know they raise a lot of money and you get 2,000, 2,500, or 3,000, however many they end up with, you know runners,” said Shinholser. “You know and it’s all a nonprofit and raising money for that local organization with AthFest Educates. It goes back into the community and so it’s cool to just be part of that.”
This race includes activations throughout the course for the runners and supporters, including live bands at both the start and finish lines and four of the mile markers. There will also be a business expo on Saturday afternoon, featuring the sponsors.
The half marathon course will be available to supporters of the participants.
Luke Vukmaravich, a fourth-year finance student at the University of Georgia, is excited for the live music throughout the race in particular and the opportunity to help his community.
“Roads are closed and just kinda go at your own pace and kinda vibe while you run,” said Vukmaravich.
Vukmaravich also credited the cause of the race and his desire to partake in the half marathon.
“You know, it’s a good cause,” said Vukmaravich. “I wanted to run anyway and you know, might as well do it as part of something to raise money for the community than just to run on my own. So that’s kinda really why I joined into it.”
Why I Wrote the Story:
I wrote this story to help the Athens community gain a better understanding of what the AthHalf is and the motivation behind the event. Through this story I was able to better understand how to cover live events through social media and conduct in-person interviews without a large amount of time to prepare.