Sunday, June 28, 2009 | Sports
An Atlanta tradition

The Buzz: What's movin' and shakin' in the world of sports

From the approximately 110 runners who gathered at the old Sears parking lot at the corner of Peachtree Road and Roswell Road on July 4, 1970, to the 55,000 runners who will trot past 150,000 or so cheering supporters this year, the Peachtree Road Race remains a staple of life in Atlanta. And beyond, for that matter, as more than 3,000 military personnel will participate in Peachtree satellite races in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait. From the young to the not-so-youthful (the oldest registered male and female racers year are both 88), runners will burn more than 34 million calories Saturday, using more than 500,000 recyclable paper cups and 65,000 bottles of water to hydrate themselves. Whether you’re sweating it out for the coveted T-shirt or toasting the (sometimes costumed) athletes with a cold one from the sidelines, the nation’s largest 10K road race is one of the ATL’s biggest parties.

Sisterly excellence

Andy Roddick bagged a trophy wife last spring, but unless he comes big this week at the All England Club, it will be 19 straight grand slam events since an American male last hoisted the championship trophy at a tennis major. Truly, this is a woeful time in American men’s tennis. But the same can’t be said for American women, thanks of course to the Williams sisters, who have 17 grand slam singles titles between them. Odds are that either Serena (10) or big sister Venus (seven) will add to that tally this week at Wimbledon, where the two have combined to win seven of the last eight singles championships. From the hardcourts of their tough Watts neighborhood all the way to global stardom, their shared success story is like something out of a Hollywood screenwriter’s imagination. And the movie’s not over yet: The sisters have only met 20 times competitively, each winning 10 games—with a possible tie-breaker looming this week.