Georgia Tech Traditions/GA1 - Traditions - Pi Mile Road Race

Pi Mile Road Race

Further information: 35th Annual Pi Mile Race, The Tyler Brown Pi Mile, and Honoring Tyler Brown

The Dean George C. Griffin Pi Mile 5K Road Race is run annually in the Spring on the Georgia Tech campus. One of the longest continually running races in Atlanta, it is named after former Dean of Students, George C. Griffin, in honor of his tenure as a track and cross country coach. The race founder is alumnus L. McTier "Mac" Anderson, class of 1967. The first race in 1973 was 3 miles long and was expanded to 3.14 miles after 1975—hence the Pi Mile. In 2002, the race distance was slightly shortened to 5 kilometers, intendedly to attract more runners. Another race tradition is the Ghost Run, where all the entrants sign up as George P. Burdell; participants pay the fee and get a t-shirt but do not have to run.

Part of the race is run along the Tyler Brown Pi-Mile Trail, a 3.14-mile running course around well-lit areas of the Georgia Tech campus, designated with disc-shaped markers and maps along the way. Tyler Brown was a former Student Government Association President who ran daily for ROTC and pushed heavily for a well-lit and safe running trail. Tyler Brown was killed in action in Iraq on September 14, 2004. The trail was completed in December 2004 and was dedicated in his honor in April 2005.