It’s hard to believe that the 4th of July weekend is already past us and the Peachtree completed for another year. Thank you to all 900 Delta employees and their families who ran or walked in the world’s largest 10K! A special thank you also, to the Atlanta Track Club and Race Director Tracey Russell - they really outdid themselves this year with the challenges posed with the new finish. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch as usual!

For me, this was a special race for two reasons. First, it was my honor to award the Delta Silver Number to Kevin Montgomery of Atlanta during the awards ceremony following the race. Kevin will enjoy an all-expense paid trip to Dublin to participate in the Dublin Marathon on October 27, 2008 including round-trip travel on Delta. What a great way for Kevin to start the July 4th holiday, and an exciting next challenge as he prepares for his first marathon in Dublin!

The race was special to me personally as it was the 10th anniversary of my first Peachtree in 1998. When I first started working for Delta in June of 1998, I was new to Atlanta and had no idea what “The Peachtree” was all about. One of my new Delta coworkers asked me if I wanted her number (which I now know is against the rules), and I nervously accepted having never run further than the required one-mile jogs in high school PE classes.

Nevertheless, another Delta colleague and Peachtree veteran promised to take me under his wing. I was amazed at the number of fans, the music, the donut cart at Publix, and especially the brutal mix of heat and humidity. Having grown up in Montana, humidity was a new experience for me - running in it was especially challenging. Despite my lack of running talent and ability, I finished with a smile on my face and I have been hooked ever since.

I haven’t been able to run the Peachtree every July 4th since 1998, but I have certainly tried. I think this was my seventh. It has become a tradition for my wife and I to complete together.

I know many of you have incredible streaks of continuous Peachtrees as well as great stories and experiences - maybe they were even made this year! Either way, I want to thank you and your families for being part of the Delta Team at this year’s race.

It’s funny how the Peachtree, with the challenges of hills, heat, and humidity is so similar to the challenges we face everyday at Delta with high fuel prices, summer loads, and long hours. Yet in the end, we can look back with our fellow finishers and together, feel a sense of achievement and pride that we were able to persevere and cross the finish line with our hands and arms extended and smiles on our faces.

And then, after sharing our personal stories and experiences, we look forward to doing it all again the next year.

Here’s to next year!!

Eric Phillips

Director, Domestic Revenue Management

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