On the eve of the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Games, while the Olympians were sleeping, a very different event was lighting up the city’s streets: You didn’t have to be a world-class athlete to take part.
So A marathon for everyone (translated to “Marathon for Everyone” in English) 20,024 public runners ran the same iconic course and crossed the same finish line as women’s and men’s marathon gold medalists Sifan Hassan and Toula Tamirat, respectively. For those who wanted to follow in the footsteps of the iconic Olympians but didn’t want to run the full 26.2 miles, a simultaneous 10K (also known as 6.2 miles) race was held in central Paris. In total, more than 40,000 people from 127 countries took part in the two events, according to the London Marathon Association. Associated PressBoth events took place on the eve of the women’s marathon on August 11th.
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As 2024 Olympic Games Official Website He said this was the first time the Olympic marathon course would be open to the public, as part of an effort by the International Olympic Committee to give visitors the feeling they were taking part in the events and create “unforgettable” memories from this year’s Games.
Even more special, the course, which is open to both Olympians and amateurs, was designed to spotlight key moments in French history: the starting gun fired at the Hôtel de Ville, site of the Women’s March of Versailles in 1789. Runners then made their way through nine Parisian arrondissements, passing iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles, before finishing at Place des Invalides.
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