On Sunday, Georgia Tech students will journey from Atlanta to Athens to run the game ball for next week’s matchup against the University of Georgia. 

The annual Run for the Kids is a fundraiser for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and a partnership between the Georgia Tech and UGA chapters of the Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) fraternity.  

Tech students will run from Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field to a meeting point near Loganville to hand the ball off to UGA students. Jack Ready, a biomedical engineering major, will follow the runners in a truck with a police escort in front. 

“We go stadium to stadium and will bring three game balls with us,” Ready said. “We have a lot of people who want to run this year after reviving the event last year.”  

The tradition took a pandemic-induced hiatus until 2023 but has already begun to grow again. Because of the increased interest from runners this year, each student will run approximately 2 miles of the course in a relay style — except for two members who plan to run a marathon distance along with their friends.  

Ultimately, the game balls will reach Sanford Stadium ahead of the contest with their in-state rivals on Friday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Ready is optimistic about both the run and the game as the Yellow Jackets come off a perfect season at home after Thursday's win over NC State.

“Our odds are the best they’ve been,” he said.  

Follow along Sunday on FIJI’s Instagram. Donations are still being accepted.