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Rio Holds Olympic Marathon Course Test Run on Short Notice

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20160411/k10010474511000.html

translated by Brett Larner

In preparation for August's Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a marathon course test run took place on April 10.  To reduce costs the organizing committee held the race in conjunction with an event put on by a sports manufacturer.  Because it was only announced shortly before it took place just 16 local Brazilian athletes took part.

The runners started from the Rio Carnival parade area, running through the city and along the coast before finishing back at the same place as the start.  Although it is almost totally flat the course features three loops of the coastline section where the sunshine is strong and wind can become an issue.  While runners will feel the effects of Rio de Janeiro's famously strong sunlight they can draw strength from the inspiration of the world-class views along the coast.

The winner of the test run in 2:31:22, local runner Silva described his impressions of the course, saying, "It was humid along the coast and the sunlight was tough.  Some sections have a lot of curves that are hard to run, so it's important not to go out too fast."

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