The men's and women's marathon for Tokyo's Olympics in 2020 will start and finish in the new Olympic stadium, which organizers say last happened in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
The organizing committee announced the course layout on Thursday. It's a flat route with an uphill finish leading to the new stadium that is still under construction.
Organizers said the original bid had the marathon scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m. to avoid Tokyo's summer heat and humidity. Tokyo spokesman Masa Takaya said a confirmed starting time was expected to be announced in July at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee's executive board.
The course includes many traditional parts of the city including the Ginza shopping area, the Imperial palace - the primary residence of the emperor of Japan - and Nihonbashi, the historic center of the city.
The race walk events will take place in the outer gardens of the Imperial Palace. A 1-kilometer loop will be set up for 20-kilometer events, and a 2-kilometer loop will be used for the 50-kilometer race.
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