Swept by the barefoot running craze, ultramarathoner Ryan Carter ditched his sneakers for footwear that mimics the experience of striding unshod. The first time he tried it two years ago, he ran a third of a mile on grass. Within three weeks of switching over, he was clocking six miles on the road.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race veterans collect race T-shirts. University of West Georgia art professor Clint Samples has his own Peachtree collection that likewise continues to expand annually. Twelve students in his digital media class have been finalists in the annual T-shirt contest in the past four years, out of 20 total finalists.

Lottery registration for the 43rd The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race will open at 7 a.m. Thursday and will stay open until 11:59 p.m. March 22. The 10K race, which features 60,000 runners, will be run on the Fourth of July. Go to ajc.

Some things are just too much to comprehend in a moment, much less in months. So on the morning of last July 4, about 50 yards from the finish of the Peachtree Road Race, when runner Jim Kurtz opened his eyes and felt hands on his chest, he had to ask.

Harry Potter, Wonder Woman make their appearance Wonder Woman, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, runners body-painted as bald eagles and at least two gentlemen in full-body suits took the starting line. One group wore capes and carried small brooms to play Quidditch, the fictional sport in the Harry Potter book series.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race isn’t your average 10-kilometer race, catering to 60,000 runners, some running, some walking, over a course from Lenox Mall Square to Piedmont Park. While a number of race-day conditions can’t be controlled -- including this year’s starting conditions that were tabbed as the hottest in more than a decade -- the course itself is one thing that doesn’t change.

In the 42nd running of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, with the finish line in sight on Monday, Kenya’s Sammy Kitwara pulled away from Mathew Kisorio, and won his second Peachtree title. Kitwara finished the 10-kilometer event in 28 minutes, five seconds -- 43 seconds off his first-place finish in 2009.

They came to Atlanta from 48 states and Washington to push themselves to exhaustion in temperatures better suited for sitting under a shade tree than lacing up running shoes. There were more than 60,000 of them, most dressed in running clothes, some in military uniform, others in costumes, who came to run in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, believed to be the world's largest 10-kilometer event.

Last year's weather for the Peachtree Road Race was the coolest since 1996, resulting in only a handful of medical problems. This year could be a different story as forecasters are predicting warm and humid conditions at the start of the race Monday morning.

A snapshot look at Monday’s The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race: The first Peachtree was held in 1970, with 150 runners (though only 110 would finish). There were no T-shirts, no water stops, no food and no postrace entertainment. The entry fee was $2.

Around 7 a.m. Monday, as the sky starts to lighten in Midtown, the bright yellow wheelchair should crest the final hill of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. Krige Schabort, wearing a yellow helmet and a blue jersey, will point his modern-day chariot to the finish line and ask his shoulders, triceps, forearms and abs to give him a little bit more in hopes of winning the Peachtree for the fourth time.

Quote: “Through diet and exercise, I’m down to 200 pounds, off all my medications — high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol — and am ready to run the race that I grew up hearing about but never dreamed I’d run.” Age: 45 Residence: Liberty, Ky. Number of Peachtrees: This will be my first.

From a small gathering of 110 avid runners in 1970, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race has blossomed into the world’s largest 10-kilometer road race. It’s now a Fourth of July institution that has been dominated by the internationals in the field for the past 20 years.

The designs of the five finalists in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race T-shirt contest are as different as the race winner’s time will be from the last person to cross the finish line. Some are artistic. Some are literal. Each is interesting.

Should I run The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race on Monday in toe (minimalist) shoes? What about barefoot? Here’s some advice: Toe/minimalist shoes -- Don’t try to break in a new pair in a race of any length. Jim Harmon’s longest run was five miles before he ran 6.

As he turned 53, Decatur writer Jim Harmon assumed his memories of running — pushing his body for miles in a zone of exhilaration — were past history, part of his young adulthood. Despite well-fitted size-9 1/2 shoes, Harmon couldn’t run more than two miles without hip and leg pain and winded breathing.

Quote: “Running was a ‘I can beat anything’ feeling for a long time. Nothing else mattered but my running.” Age: 40 Residence: Smyrna Occupation: Full-time, stay-at-home mom of three children and working part-time on contract jobs from home in the computer field.

The fading blue wall is covered in Ira Terrell’s love letters. Dozens are stuck there. He looks at his homage and smiles. “I love the Peachtree,” he says, pointing to one of the “letters” — the runners bibs he has collected over the years. Once a homeless alcoholic, the 64-year-old has a different kind of appreciation for the world’s largest 10K race.

Quote: “This one will be special for me — my 20th consecutive Peachtree Road Race. I’m thinking of having a special shirt or signage made to wear during the race.” Occupation: Building-services administrator for Standard Register Age: 54 Residence: Clarkesville Why I run? The Peachtree is an annual event for most of us up here in the sticks of extreme northeast Georgia.

Quote: “My heart bursts seeing the patriotic affection for this great country of ours! I wish we would celebrate like that every day.” Age: 53 Residence: Marietta Number of Peachtrees: This year will be my 33rd in a row. Why do you run? The Peachtree has become a tradition for me and my family.

Margaret Lunsford Quote: “My birthday is July third, so each year I not only celebrate the country’s birthday, but mine as well.” Occupation: Retired educator, currently an H&R Block tax advisor Age: 60 Residence: Avondale Estates Number of Peachtrees: 28 Q: Why do you run? A: Running the Peachtree is a celebration of life tradition I began in 1982.

Quote: “With each passing year I become increasingly grateful for good health and the chance to live in a vibrant city like Atlanta.” Occupation: Medical device sales rep Age: 60 Residence: Smyrna Number of Peachtrees: I have run in 19 of the past 20.

Quote: “This year, I am bringing my 10-year-old daughter, Zoe, with me. I was pregnant when my husband died, and she will be waiting for me at the finish line. I want her to witness the event as her father had experienced it. She is very excited to see how big it is and to know what her daddy did.

Quote: “Every July 4th morning is like an annual fitness check-up for me.” Occupation: Agent with New York Life Age: 49 Residence: Woodstock Number of Peachtrees: This will be my 18th. Why do you run? I do not run regularly, but try to stay fit. I enjoy the fact that the race covers the same course each year, and I can measure my personal performance against previous year’s.

Quote: “I started running in 2004 when I decided to lose weight. I went from 305 pounds down to 175, and running was a big part of the weight loss.” Occupation: Data analyst for AT&T Age: 53 Residence: East Point Number of Peachtrees? This will be my seventh.