Nearly 50,000 runners and walkers took to the streets of Atlanta on July 4 for the 57th running of the Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race. While participants focused on crossing the finish line, dozens of Northside Hospital Heart Institute physicians, clinicians, and employees were working behind the scenes and on the course to help make the event one of the safest road races in the world.
As the title partner of the iconic race, Northside Hospital expanded its commitment to community health by pairing wellness with preparedness. Fifty automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were strategically deployed throughout the 10K course, while 48 volunteers from Northside Hospital, Avive Solutions and the Forsyth Fire Department carried AEDs during each race wave, ensuring a defibrillator was never more than minutes away from participants if a cardiac emergency occurred.
For Northside Hospital Heart Institute physicians, participating in the race extended beyond supporting runners. It was an opportunity to bring lifesaving expertise directly into the community and reinforce the importance of rapid response during cardiac emergencies.
"Participating as an AED support runner is incredibly meaningful to me — not just as a surgeon, but as someone who understands how quickly a situation can turn critical," said Dr. Azad Karim, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Northside Hospital Heart Institute. "I'm proud to be part of this effort to place AEDs throughout the Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race because it reflects our broader commitment to delivering lifesaving care directly into the community, especially when minutes matter most.
"When someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest, their chance of survival decreases by about 10% with every minute that passes without CPR or defibrillation. Extending this level of preparedness beyond the hospital and into real-world settings is core to our mission and gives people the best possible chance of survival when every second counts."
At this year’s Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race Expo, Northside Hospital Heart Institute staff trained 400 participants in hands-only CPR.
The initiative reflects Northside's broader commitment to improving survival from sudden cardiac arrest through education, preparedness and rapid response. By extending cardiac safety beyond the walls of the hospital, Northside is helping equip the community with the tools and awareness needed to respond when every second counts.
For many Northside employees, volunteering during the Peachtree Road Race was about more than running a 10K. It was an opportunity to represent the health system's mission while helping protect thousands of runners participating in one of Atlanta's signature events.
"Serving as an AED support runner was a natural extension of the work we do every day," said April Stoelzel, RN, BSN, Heart Failure Program coordinator at Northside Hospital Heart Institute. "It was an opportunity to demonstrate that we're not only present during our patients' moments of crisis. We're also there for their recovery, milestones, and victory laps. We're invested in the health of our entire community."
That mission came into focus just before mile 5, when Stoelzel encountered a runner who had collapsed on the course. The runner was breathing and had a pulse, but Stoelzel remained on scene with the AED until emergency medical responders arrived, prepared to intervene if the runner's condition changed. Fortunately, CPR and defibrillation were not needed.
"Had the runner gone into cardiac arrest, the AED we carried would have been the first defibrillator on the scene," Stoelzel said. "In that moment, the value of the AED support runner initiative became incredibly real."
The race-day effort also highlighted Northside Hospital's Lead with Heart initiative, which encourages the public to learn hands-only CPR and become familiar with using an AED. Nearly 70% of cardiac arrests occur at home, making family members, friends, and bystanders the people most likely to provide lifesaving care before emergency responders arrive.
By combining physician expertise, employee volunteers, and strategically placed AEDs, Northside Hospital demonstrated that protecting the community's health extends well beyond its hospital walls. The effort reinforced the organization's commitment to deliver exceptional cardiovascular care while empowering others with the knowledge and confidence to save a life.
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Pictured at top, from left: Maddie Delrio, Lezlie Valentine, Jennifer Chriswell, Jason Grady, Jackie Sollogub, Lilly Winston and Rachel Stephens pose at the Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race expo.
