The Paris Marathon for All was held for running enthusiasts along the legendary official race route

On the eve of the women's marathon in Paris Games 2024While the Olympic racers slept, a completely different competition unfolded on the city streets, and you didn't have to be a world-class athlete to take part.

IN Marathon for everyone (which translates to “Marathon for All”), 20,024 regular runners raced along the same legendary course and crossed the same finish line as Sifan Hassan and Tola Tamirat, the women's and men's marathoners respectively. gold medalists. For those who wanted to follow in the footsteps of these legendary Olympians, just not all 26.2 miles of them, a simultaneous 10-kilometer (aka 6.2-mile) race was also held in central Paris. In total, more than 40,000 people from 127 countries took part in the two events, according to Associated PressBoth events took place on the eve of the women's marathon on August 11.

Runners await the start of the Pour Tous marathon

GABRIELLE BOWIS/Getty Images

How Official website of the 2024 Games marks the first time the Olympic marathon route has been open to the public. It was part of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) efforts to make visitors feel like they are part of the action and give them “unforgettable, lifelong” memories of this year's Games.

What makes it even more special? The course, for both Olympians and amateurs, was designed to highlight key moments in French history. The starting gun sounded at the Hôtel de Ville, where the Women’s March on Versailles took place in 1789. Runners then travelled through nine arrondissements of Paris, passing iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles, before crossing the finish line at the Esplanade des Invalides.

Runners compete in the Marathon Pour Tous near the Louvre.

LIONEL BONAVENTURE/Getty Images

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