Beijing Games organizers are finalizing the Olympic marathon route, which is set to become a spectacular showcase of the nation's capital.

 

 

Organizers and venue design consultants recently toured Beijing in a bus to inspect the best possible routes for one of the most popular Olympic events.

 

Full details of the official 42km route are still closely guarded. However, the coarse is expected to show off Beijing's most famous landmarks, in the same way the 2004 marathon highlighted the ancient ruins of Athens and the 2000 race revealed Sydney's Opera House, Harbor Bridge and waterways.

 

The Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, the Drum and Bell Tower, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven could be among many world-famous city icons that feature in the race.

 

One of the consultants on the bus tour told China Daily the marathon route needed to take into account special factors. "For example, the runners need to be seen from above by camera crews in helicopters, so race organizers had to consider the height of trees along certain sections of the road," he said.

 

The Beijing marathon, held in October last year, will also help organizers plan the best route.

 

The 2006 race started at Tian'anmen Square and traveled west through the Second Ring road, through to Yuyuantan Park and across to Fourth Ring road. Runners then turned north to the Summer Palace, north to the Fifth Ring road and then east to the National Olympic Sports Center.

 

James Kwambi Kipsang from Kenya won the event with a time of 2:10:36. The best Chinese male runners were Ren Longyun (2:15:13) and Li Youcai (2:15:29) who finished eighth and ninth.

 

(China Daily January 5, 2007)