A record number of American soldiers in the Middle East will run their own version of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race this year.

Atlanta Track Club executive director Tracey Russell said at a Wednesday morning pre-race news conference that 3,350 soldiers will earn a coveted Peachtree T-shirt in races planned in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait.

"I've heard so many wonderful testimonials [about the races overseas]," Russell said. "A lot of them are Atlantans stationed overseas."

The Peachtree first added races for soldiers in 2004.

Four races are scheduled, the biggest being at Camp Bagram in Jalalabd, Afghanistan, where 1,200 runners will run the 6.2 miles. That race will begin at 5 a.m. Friday Afghanistan time (9 p.m. Thursday in Atlanta).

Another 1,000 will run at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait (5 a.m. Friday in Kuwait; 10 p.m. Thursday in Atlanta), 900 at Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq (6:20 a.m. Friday in Iraq; 11:20 p.m. Thursday in Atlanta), and 150 at Al-Asad, Iraq (6 a.m. Friday in Iraq; 11 p.m. Thursday here).

Cpl. Patrick Kelley of Snellville organized the race at Al-Asad. His wife Karen will run Friday's Peachtree in Atlanta.