Commonwealth Games: Marathon and cycle race routes revealed - BBC News

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Cycling and marathon routes for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham have been revealed.

The marathon event, on the first Saturday of the Games, will take in the city centre and south Birmingham and the following week's cycling race will be staged in Warwickshire.

A cycling time trial route has also been revealed in Wolverhampton and triathlon events in Sutton Coldfield.

Organisers said the routes would "showcase the West Midlands".

Victoria Square, in Birmingham city centre, will mark the finish line of the marathon on 30 July next year, which was described as "fitting" by Matt Kidson, the Games' director of sport.

Athletes will also take in city centre landmarks including the Jewellery Quarter and St Phillip's Cathedral, as well as the historic Cadbury's chocolate factory and Edgbaston cricket ground on a southern loop - which will be completed twice.

Elsewhere, a 16km cycle road race will start and finish in Warwick's St Nicholas Park on 7 August, taking in rural village Hampton on the Hill as well as Leamington Spa.

The final part of the course will cross the River Avon, with views of Warwick Castle.

The men's event will see athletes complete 10 laps of the course and the women's event will cover seven laps.

The route for the Birmingham 2022 Games was announced nine months in advance to allow the local authority time to work with local residents to prepare for the one-day event.

On 4 August, time trial participants will begin their route in West Park, Wolverhampton, before heading to Dudley to see the historic castle there and heading up through Staffordshire and back to Wolverhampton.

Organisers also announced that triathlon events will be staged in and around Sutton Park on 29 and 31 July.

Image from the 2018 road race event for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

"These routes will help to profile some fantastic landmarks from across the region and showcase the West Midlands and Warwickshire to the world," Mr Kidson said.