With hopes to include a 5K in future years, Zone 5 Events Director Beau Bearden offers a look at the inaugural run, comically titled the "Peoplechase."
"This is more for fun and this is part of the festivities for the day," Bearden said. "The people that are gonna be out there want to be able to run on the track and be on that historic track and be out there where the horses are. It's a very different race from that perspective."
While many 5Ks occur on roadways, Bearden noted the difference and common preference for avid runners of a softer surface, a characteristic that sets this particular race apart from others of the same category.
"It's a very plush green grass, a very soft grass, which runners love. Most runners do not like the asphalt or the cement," Bearden said. "They want soft [surfaces] or they want trails, something that's not hard on their feet or their knees, and this is a great course for something like that."
The track, which is approximately 1.2 miles long, will call for runners to complete two full circles around the course.
Scheduled for April 14, the Peoplechase will be held before horses enter the track and the same obstacles that horses jump will be available as an option, though not a requirement for runners. Start and finish lines will be situated close to the crowds for a more clear view of participants.
Private changing tents for men and women will be offered with washing stations and mirrors. Prizes will be awarded for the top three female finishers and the top three male finishers.
"If you have two people in an age group, and one decides to do the obstacle and another doesn't, it's not really fair if the person that goes over the obstacle gets beaten by a few seconds," Bearden said. "So, ... we're not doing age group awards."
Registration is in progress and interested runners can sign up at www.active.com/running/kingston-ga/peoplechase-5k-2012. Registration closes at 11:59 a.m. on April 6 and price packages are listed on the website as ranges vary based on whether or not runners have a Steeplechase ticket, a guest or a child companion.
The 5K has been added to the list of the day's events, alongside a rock climbing wall, hay rides, the hat parade, a skydiving exhibition as well as the terrier and horse races.
Recognizing that many of the Atlanta Steeplechase clientele live active lifestyles, India Watson, marketing director for the Atlanta Steeplechase added that the committee had been considering adding a 5K for quite some time.
"The Atlanta Steeplechase wanted to add a new and creative event," Watson said. "We've wanted to do something like this and we felt like this would be a great opportunity for people to be able to run on the track. It seems to be very popular. We have a lot of people that have already entered and we thought it would be really fun. It's something new and different, and it could attract a whole new group of people, too, because hopefully they will stay after and enjoy the race."