Hilly Paris Olympic Marathon Course Revealed + Free Mass Participation 10k and Marathon

I just came to say the same thing. Can't wait to see it.

Yeah, this is a great course! Really impressive, and love the video release to get running fans excited about the marathon two years in advance.

I'd think you might see some one who is really feeling good out by Versaille start to soften up the field with surges and then push to really break the pack up on the second hill coming back from Versaille. I think you'll lose all the pretenders on the way out from paris.

You are 100% right, the Olympics is rarely the most competitive marathon field and I think that should be u deratood as a major asterisk to any “Olympic Champ”

however, no 2:10 runner should be running races for free. A 2:06 Kenyan guy would be way better off getting an appearance fee or chasing prize money at Amsterdam/Valencia/Dubai

There are a lot of sub 2:10 guys not getting appearance fees, especially if they're African, or the 20th fastest Japanese runner. Really there aren't many races outside of New York/Boston that give big appearance fees, and Berlin/London just focus on a handful of headliner runners and don't pay too much attention to someone who would place 6th in their field. One example this past weekend, a Japanese runner who ran 2:07 at Fukuoka in 2020 ran the TC Marathon in Minnesota for a prize money of $5k. If it was more lucrative for him to run 2:10 at New York he would have probably gone there, or Chicago. But Chicago only pays 5 deep internationally and wouldn't give a guy like him an appearance fee. Another sub 59 minute half marathon African was also in the TC Marathon and made $3k... Shocking to see people this fast using their few marathon opportunities to pick up a few thousand dollars.

Will Emily Sisson hate it?

It's a shame if she does as I jsut found out the course is woke and designed for women.

The course is designed to salute women and trace one of the pivotal historic events of the French Revolution. It is modelled on the path of the October 1789 Women’s March on Versailles when thousands, mainly female market traders furious over the price of bread marched to the lavish palace of King Louis XVI, and for the 1st time ever the women's marathon will end the Olympics.

wkzo.com

Olympics-Paris 2024 marathon to trace path of French Revolution

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By Julien Pretot PARIS (Reuters) -Competitors in the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics will run from central Paris to Versailles and back, on a cour...

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Here is the official website's explanation on the emphasis on women:

paris2024.org

Paris 2024 - Olympic marathon route confirmed

Site officiel du comité d'organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de Paris 2024

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"...the course is woke and designed for women."

No, the course was modeled after an historical event where citizens, primarily women, mobilized against an oppressive monarch.

It certainly will make for an interesting race. I just hope they pick a similar course for the US trials.

This is a great Oly. marathon course!

No one is going to be running a fast marathon in Paris in August anyway. High temps upper 70s with humidity and maybe poor air quality. No bonuses for time. Normally ends up being more of a tactical race where the main thing that matters is place.

The marathon is supposed to be hard, but with better training, nutrition, hydration, super shoes the carnage associated with marathons has disappeared somewhat. Maybe with this course we will see more bonking, staggering, puking, walking.

Normally when elite marathoners blow up they just drop out to save it for another race. That is less likely to happen in the Olympic marathon because runners have a certain amount of pride and obligation in representing their country.

The free citizen events with 40k participants are a fantastic idea and will help promote and highlight unique aspects of running. There is no other Olympic sport that could begin to dream about have 20k members of the public participate in a competition on the same route/field/venue as Olympians during the games.

I doubt the 10k and the marathon have exactly the same number of participants.

I guess you're assuming he's on the team? We'll see. The guy is yet to run 26.2 miles....

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Marathon has entered the chat.

No one on here gets the libs seething like rojo lol

Sorry if I missed it somewhere else. Any thoughts yet on how a hobbyjogger will be able to run? Time qualifiers? Lottery? Allotment per country to hand out as they see fit?

I'm not convinced that hills really matter in road racing. 1,500 feet over a marathon isn't enough to keep the fittest flat runner from being first to the finish. 5,000' maybe? I'm sure there is a crossover point at several thousands of feet of elevation change where the best mountain runners could beat Kipchoge over 26.2, but there is no road course where the elevation will keep in-form Kipchoge from beating his competition.

You are a snowflake.

Comrades has ~110 feet per mile, no mountain runner would come close to Kipchoge on that course.