Paris, Oct 31 (AP) Some 3,600 amateur runners faced off Sunday against Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge in a special race in the heart of Paris, as the city prepares to host the 2024 Olympics.

The runners raced along the historic, cobblestoned Champs-Elysees, with Kipchoge starting off last, darting alongside.

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All those he failed to catch over the 5-kilometer race — more than 1,000 people — won access to an Olympic-related marathon in 2024, according to organizers. The event was organized to mark 1,000 days before the Paris Games.

Kipchoge won gold in the Olympic marathon in August and in 2016, and is the world record holder for the marathon with a time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds.

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Kenya-born Kipchoge, 36, said he doesn't know yet whether he'll race in Paris in 2024, but said Sunday that “I am happy to be an ambassador for 2024, even if I will not be running I will be there to encourage people.” He called Sunday's race a "wonderful experience." (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)