By Rohith Nair
PARIS (Reuters) – Amateur runners will get the opportunity to complete the same Olympic marathon course as the athletes in Paris on Saturday but with the added excitement of running at night on a well-lit route that passes through the city’s iconic monuments.
The Olympic men’s marathon will be held early on Saturday morning before 20,024 participants get the opportunity to run the 42km loop linking Paris and Versailles, finishing at Les Invalides – the historic site that houses Napoleon’s tomb.
While that race starts at 9 p.m. local time, there will also be a second accessible 10km race at 11:30 p.m. in central Paris with another 20,024 participants.
“For the first time in history, we wanted to give opportunities to spectators to become actors, to run on the same course and on the same day as the Olympic athletes,” Paris 2024 sports executive director Aurelie Merle told reporters.
“The marathon being the most emblematic event of the Games, it was a good symbol for us to give this opportunity on this unique course.
“We’re going to go through some of the most iconic monuments in Paris – the Louvre, the Grand Palais, the Eiffel Tower, obviously. But it’s also a demanding course, because we’re going to have a positive ascent of 438 metres.”
While a light and sound show will be held all along the course, with bands and DJs playing music, there are also friends and family support zones to create a fun and festive atmosphere.
The participants will also get to rub shoulders with sports royalty.
Former Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo, twice gold medal-winning triathlete Alistair Brownlee and former British long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe will be present for the two runs.
“All of these talented athletes will be accompanying the different waves and the different runners to make their experience even greater,” Merle added.
Mass event manager Aurelien Hochart said participants can drop out if they need to in designated areas and take public transport home while there are cold bath areas if runners need to cool down.
Participants will have until 4:30 a.m. to finish, however, to give organisers time to clean the course and set up for the women’s Olympic marathon on Sunday morning.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Paris; Editing by Toby Davis)
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