L. MathekaEliud Kipchoge terms Paris Olympics marathon route 'a unique experience'
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 05.10.22. | 20:08
With mass event running, the general public can put themselves in the shoes of their Olympic heroes and run the same marathon route.
Organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympics, on Wednesday 5 October, unveiled the routes for the Olympic marathon and the two races, a 42.195km course and a 10km course, open to the general public as part of mass event running
For the Olympic marathon, one of the most iconic events of the Olympic Games, Paris 2024 has unveiled a new route.
When planning the route for this legendary event, Paris 2024 drew inspiration from the ‘Women's March’ of 5-6 October 1789 when 6-7000 Parisian women marched through Paris, Sèvres and St Cloud before reaching Versailles and forcing the King back to the Tuileries Palace.
Starting at the Hôtel de Ville and finishing on the Esplanade des Invalides, the course will take in some of the most beautiful sights and monuments of Paris and its surroundings.
It will deliver 42.195km of drama with the Louvre Pyramid, Grand Palais, Château de Versailles and the Eiffel Tower as its backdrop.
This Olympic Marathon also has a particularly tough profile with an overall elevation gain/loss of 438m, approved by World Athletics.
“Beyond a doubt, the Paris 2024 Marathon will have something special about it,” said two-time Olympic champion and world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge. “To perform in such an impressive setting, in a place so charged with history and symbolism, will be a unique experience. I could not ask for a more perfect race for the Games.”
The two-time Olympic champion in the classic distance, Kipchoge has already hinted at going for a third crown at the Paris 2024 Games.
However, in his most recent interview after breaking his own world marathon record in Berlin, Kipchoge said it was too early to talk about his 2024 plans when the Paris Olympics question resurfaced.
“With its unprecedented route, the Paris 2024 Marathon represents a great sporting challenge for the athletes, in a spectacular setting,” said Paula Radcliffe, world record-holder between 2003 and 2019 who was present at the unveiling. “This race, more unpredictable than ever, promises to be mythical.”
Additional information by World Athletics
