Atlanta Track Club executive director Tracey Russell says around 8,000 applicants were turned down for this year's Peachtree, double the number from last year. Some who sent in their applications the weekend they appeared in the AJC (March 16) apparently didn't make the cut. The club fielded several phone calls and e-mails from those turned down. "It's a tough position to be in for our staff, to say I'm sorry, you didn't make it," Russell said.

COMING UP: Deadline is approaching for the Peachtree Junior, a 3K race (about two miles) for children ages 7-12 on May 31 in Piedmont Park. The online deadline is May 26; paper applications are due May 23. The cost is $10.

T. LEVETTE BAGWELL / AJC FILE (ENLARGE)

The Atlanta Track Club turned away 8,000 applicants this year -- twice the number from 2007.

AJC PEACHTREE ROAD RACE 2009 PHOTOS The race | The scene | The winners | Your photos | Overseas races Bradley: The cheaters burn me up MORE RACE NEWS Disqualified Peachtree runner disputes elbowing claim  On a mild day, Kenyans sweep AJC Peachtree  AJC Peachtree still spry after 40 years  PLUS: T-shirts by decade: 2000s | 1990s | 1980s | 1970s 2008 PHOTOS The race | The scene | The winners | Birdseye view | Your photos Atlanta Track Club

To register: www.atlantatrackclub.org

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GET A SHIRT – WITHOUT RUNNING!

You don't have to run 10 kilometers to get a Peachtree T-shirt. OK, not that T-shirt, the one given to the 55,000 participants. Non-runners can get a volunteer T-shirt by working the race. Around 3,500 volunteers are needed. Volunteer coordinator Lisa Tanner says workers are needed for the start area, fluid stations at the finish, and to serve as marshalls for portions of the course. Register online at atlantatrackclub.org.

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DID YOU KNOW?

The 55,000 participants in the Peachtree Road Race will burn 34 million calories, or about 618 per runner. A calculator on calorielab.com estimates that you would have to spend two and half hours digging for worms with a shovel to burn the same number. An average person would burn 246 calories per hour digging for fishing bait.

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