Paris (France), Oct 6 (IANS): The organisers of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games have revealed the route for the marathon event, which was described as "unprecedented and challenging".
Starting at the Paris City Hall, athletes will run to Chateau de Versailles on the western outskirts of Paris, then return to the city centre and finish at the Invalides.
The course, revealed on Wednesday, will take in some of the most well-known sights and monuments of Paris and its surroundings, such as the Opera Garnier, Jardin des Tuileries, Pyramides du Louvre, Place de la Concorde, and the Eiffel Tower.
"The route, with its historical foundations, also reflects our constant desire to bring the sport to the heart of the city. It combines sporting performance with an exceptional cultural and architectural heritage, and to open the Games to different territories," said Tony Estanguet, the president of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee.
The organisers have drawn inspiration from the "Women's March" during the French Revolution in 1789 when thousands of Parisian women marched through Paris to Versailles and forced Louis XVI back to Paris.
"A monumental physical and sporting challenge, and a fitting tribute to the women who changed history: this Marathon will be a day to remember, and from the bottom of my heart, I hope to be part of it," said the France marathon team member Melody Julien.
For the first time since the Women's Marathon was added to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984, Paris 2024 has chosen to change the traditional order of the marathons events, with the men's race taking place first on Saturday, August 10, with the women's race the following day.
"We wanted to reverse the order in an ambition to have more gender equality and bring women to the fore for the first time. So the Women's marathon will enjoy major visibility on August 11 to cap off the athletics programme," said Estanguet.
The highest point on the route will reach 183m at the 20.3km mark, while the largest upward slope will be +13.5 percent, and the largest downward slope -13.4 percent. The overall elevation from start to finish will be 438 metres.
"With its unprecedented course, the Paris 2024 Marathon represents a great sporting challenge for the athletes, in a spectacular setting. This race, more unpredictable than ever, promises to be mythical!" added Paula Radcliffe, former women's marathon world record holder.
In addition to the Olympic marathons, it was confirmed that over 40,000 members of the public will be given the opportunity to run in the "Paris 2024 Marathon Pour Tous" mass running events.
As part of this announcement, Paris 2024 organisers revealed details about how people can enter the public marathon and 10km run, both of which will take place on the same route as the Olympic marathons.