Men’s marathon at the 2024 Olympics in Paris: schedule, TV channel and how to watch it online

As we approach the culmination of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, it’s time for one of the showpiece’s most iconic events - the marathon. The race, 42.195 kilometers (26.2 miles) in length, was one of the events in the first Games of the modern era at Athens 1896 and this will be the 30th time that it has featured since then.

A total of 160 athletes will be taking part - 13 countries will have three competitors in the race while another eight nations will have two. The route has been designed to present physical challenges to runners as well as showcase many of the historic landmarks that the French capital is known all over the world for. It will include a 436m climb and 438m descent, with the maximum gradient on the route sitting at a hamstring-burning 13.5%.

Punishing route for the 2024 Paris marathon

The route starts at Hôtel de Ville then passes through nine of the Île-de-France region’s districts, past landmarks including the Palais Garnier, Place Vendôme, the Louvre and the Trocadéro before leaving the city center to head to Versailles. Runners will then make their way back to central Paris, via the Left Bank, Eiffel Tower and heads straight to the finishing line at at the Esplanade des Invalides, Napoleon’s burial place.

Defending Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele start out among the favorites to win the men’s race, which this year breaks from tradition with the men’s event taking place first, followed by the women’s. This will be the first time that Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele have competed against each other since the 2018 London marathon, which the Kenyan won with a time of 2:04:17.

The men’s marathon will start at 2 a.m. ET on Saturday 10 August 2024 (11 p.m. PT Friday 9 August). Television viewers in the United States will be able to watch the race from start to finish on NBC, while the race will also be steamed live on Peacock and FuboTV.

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Meanwhile, the women’s marathon will start at 2 a.m. ET on Sunday 11 August 2024 (11 p.m. PT Friday 9 August) and will be aired on NBC, and steamed live on Peacock and FuboTV.

Kipchoge is one of a small group of athletes who have won back-to-back Olympic titles. The Kenyan took gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Can he make it three in a row? We will see on Saturday.