About Athens to Atlanta

Established in 1982, Athens to Atlanta is the oldest and most famous road skate in America.

Starting in Athens, Georgia, participants skate through beautiful country roads and quiet suburbia before navigating city streets and triumphantly crossing the 87-mile finish line at Atlanta's David T Howard Middle School.

The course is challenging and requires experienced skating ability, mental fortitude, and stamina. Skaters who may not be ready for the whole 87 miles may opt for the 38-mile event, which also starts in Athens, or the 49 mile event, which starts in Dacula, GA. Both inlines & quads are welcome and anyone from 8 to 108 years old may enter.

For those who are just looking to get their feet wet, get a taste of the A2A hills on our challenging but kid & novice friendly Athens, GA 10K course on Saturday morning.

Scroll down for this year's event schedule!

GIVE YOUR SKATING A PURPOSE

Millions of skaters across the world skate for exercise, fun, and friendship. Few distance events exist that really push the limits and challenge the soul. Give your skating a purpose and prepare for the Athens to Atlanta Road Skate, where crossing the finish line and earning your coveted A2A finisher mug can be your greatest victory.

MORE INFORMATION

An information packet detailing the event, the course, activities, etc. will be made available to each registrant in Athens at packet pickup. E-mail us with any remaining questions at registration@a2a.net.

Event Schedule

Friday October 18: 6:30PM Friday Night Skate Meet Up - Piedmont Park 12th St Entrance (1084 Piedmont Ave NE); 7:00 - 9:00 PM Friday Night Skate - Police Escorted (Helmets required, lights and wrist protection strongly recommended. Skate leaves on time!); 9:00 Burritos, Beer, and Margs at Willy's Mexicana, next to 12th St Entrance; ~9:30 Friday Night Bus to Athens departs (reservations required, $40.00 add-on to your registration)

Saturday October 19: 8:30 - 9:30 AM 10K onsite registration and packet pick up at Oconee Heights Baptist Church:
4180 Old Jefferson Rd, Athens, GA 30607; 10:00 AM 10K Start; 11:30 AM Awards; 3:00 - 6:00 PM Packet Pick Up & Onsite Registration for 38, 49, & 87 miles
(Cypress Room at The Classic Center, Athens, GA)
*Packet pickup is NOT available Sunday morning.*
Checkpoint Boxes available for item drop off - CP Boxes will not be available at 49mi start on Sunday. (Place your food items in a bag with your name, and place it in the box with the checkpoint number where you want your bag to be.); **There will be no packet pick up on Sunday morning**; 6:00 - 7:00 PMMandatory Pre-Skate Meeting/Henry's Rant: Classic Center Cyprus Room. Last minute route changes, hazards, etc may be announced. Henry's rant is a classic and not to be missed!

Sunday October 20

4:45 AM Sunday Bus to Athens leaves David T Howard Middle School (564 Irwin St NE, Atlanta, GA 30312). Park in the lot on Irwin St. Bus picks up in the bus lane between the field and the school sidewalk. (Reservations required, $40.00 add-on to your registration.)

6:00 - 6:50 AM Baggage Truck / Checkpoint Boxes available for loading (see skater packet for details)

All bags will go to David T Howard Middle School unless MARKED for the 38mi finish, with the pink tape at the luggage truck
Checkpoint boxes will be located on the side of the baggage truck
Place your food items in a bag with your name, and place it in the box with the checkpoint number where you want your bag to be.

7:00 AM 87 & 38 mile Skate Start (Athens - N Thomas St and E Hancock Ave)

7:01 AM 49 mile skaters group up/make way to Dacula

9:30 AM 49 mile Skate Start (Dacula - 2493 2nd Ave, Dacula, GA)

4:30 PM or later Awards Ceremony will start ASAP after the last skater finishes, no earlier than 4:30 PM, no later than 5:30 PM. Awards Ceremony is held at the Atlanta Finish (David T Howard Middle School: 564 Irwin St NE, Atlanta, GA 30312) (onsite parking available in lot off of Irwin St)

SAFETY NOTE: Our events are held on open roads, with the 49 and 87 mile events including the busier section of our course. Regardless of distance, these are considered advanced street skates. You must be very comfortable skating on rough surfaces, sharing the road with cars, and controlling your speed on downhills (including long, fast downhills, and being able to fully stop at a downhill intersection). Off-duty police officers are employed at strategic intersections along the course, but may not be quick enough to stop traffic for you. REGARDLESS of your speed or your event goal, you must be prepared to stop at ALL lights and follow bicycle traffic laws.

Event Maps

Download the course maps below:

Hotel Information

Book your room early and take advantage of the special rates for this year's event.

Athens Hotels

Holiday Inn Express Group Code: ATA 513 West Broad Street Athens, Georgia 30601 706-546-8122 Central reservations for both above: 1-800-HOLIDAY

Hilton Garden Inn Group Code: 00AAS (or ask for Athens to Atlanta) 390 East Washington Street Athens, Georgia 30601 706-353-6800

Atlanta Hotels

There is no special rate for A2A in Atlanta but we recommend hotels closest to the Friday Night Skate meetup (12th St & Piedmont Rd). Getting between the FNS and ATL finish line is an easy skate on the ATL Beltline, or a 15min Uber.

The Starling Atlanta Midtown
188 14th St NE
(404) 892-6000

Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Midtown
1231 W Peachtree St NE
(404) 685-3690

Residence Inn by Mariott Atlanta Midtown
1365 Peachtree St NE
(404) 745-1000

Artmore Hotel
1302 W Peachtree St NW
(404) 876-6100

Getting There

Most skaters fly in to ATL (Hartsfield-Jackson Airport) on Friday, arriving in time to make the 6:30 PM Friday Night Skate meet-up (skate leaves at 7 PM SHARP).

Skaters can take the MARTA Gold or Red line from the Airport to Midtown Station, which is an 11min walk to the Friday Night Skate Meetup at 12th St & Piedmont.

To get to the ATL Finish on public transport, skaters can take the MARTA Gold or Red line to Five Points, then take Bus #3 to John Wesley Dobbs & Howell St. Be sure to check route schedules, lines likely not to run early on Sunday.

From there, many out-of-town skaters take the Friday Night Bus ($30 add-on) to Athens.

Some out-of-town skaters choose to rent a car from the airport, and many in-town skaters will opt to drive a vehicle to Athens on Saturday morning, arriving in time for the 10K and/or Packet Pick Up. We strongly recommend using the Athens to Atlanta Road Skate Chat group on Facebook to connect with other skaters and arrange for ride-shares!

Most folks stay overnight in Athens, for the early AM start on Sunday. Athens to Atlanta does not offer transportation back to Athens on Sunday, so your personal vehicles need to have a driver to take them back to Atlanta.

If you find yourself back in Atlanta on Saturday night, there is a very early morning bus from Atlanta to the Athens start line on Sunday morning ($30 add-on), but remember - the Saturday Skater's Meeting (Henry's Rant) in Athens is mandatory for all participants.

Note: Athens-Ben Epps Airport (Athens, GA) is very small, and has very few commercial flights, and very few public transportation options into downtown Athens. We recommend finding ground transportation from Atlanta to Athens.

If there's a “getting there” question we haven't answered yet, please email us at registration@a2a.net!

To skate from the ATL Finish to the FNS Meetup, turn right onto Randolph St, left onto Irwin St, then left onto the Beltline Trail. Take the Beltline Trail to the end, then skate up 10th St, or through the park.