Don’t expect fast times on the Olympic course in the French capital, with over a thousand feet of elevation on 26.2 mile route
The marathon course for the Paris Olympics in 2024 has been revealed and it will be one of the toughest courses in recent memory.
The 26.2 mile journey starts at Hotel de Ville and ends at Les Invalides, taking in sites such as the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre and Versailles.
Athletes will be tested with the highest point of the course reaching 600 feet at the 20.3km mark. The total elevation from start to finish is a staggering 1584 feet.
The course has been inspired by “la marche des femmes” (the Women’s March on Versailles), when in 1789 thousands of women walked from the Paris City Hall to Versailles to put pressure on King Louis XVI to establish constitutional rights for French citizens.
The Paris 2024 Olympic marathon course has been unveiled 🇫🇷
It’s drawn inspiration from the Women’s March in 1789 🙌
Men’s marathon: August 10, 2024 🗓️
Women’s marathon: August 11, 2024 🗓️pic.twitter.com/xXQ5pild60
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) October 5, 2022
Due to the march, he subsequently ratified the Universal Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen, just months after the French Revolution.
The men’s and women’s marathons will take place on August 10 and 11, 2024, the last two days of the next Olympics. It will be the first time that the women’s marathon is held on the final day of the Games.
“The athletes, the thousands of spectators and millions of television viewers will experience a special line-up of iconic sites, from France’s capital to Versailles, through the emblematic landscapes of Ile-de-France,” said Head of the Paris Organising Committee Tony Estanguet.
“In this exceptional setting, the athletes will also take on a sporting challenge of unprecedented difficulty thanks to a tough course with significant climbs.”
Paris 2024 (Getty)
“Beyond a doubt, the Paris 2024 marathon will have something special about it,” said double Olympic marathon 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.”
Over 40,000 members of the public will be given the opportunity to run the entire course, plus a 10km stretch, after the Games.
“With its unprecedented course, the Paris 2024 Marathon represents great sporting challenge for the athletes, in a spectacular setting,” said former women’s world record-holder Paula Radcliffe.
“This race, more unpredictable than ever, promises to be mythical.”
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