BERLIN, Dec 8: The city of Berlin is set to make history by hosting the first ever world championships marathon race to start and finish outside the stadium.

Berlin will host the 2009 world athletics championships on Aug 15-23, with the 26-mile marathon starting and finishing at the world famous Brandenburg Gate, the organisers announced on Monday.

The men’s race will be held Aug 22 and the women’s race the following day.

Berlin is already held in high esteem by many marathon runners because of the flat profile of the course which hosts its annual city marathon.

Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie set a new world record of 2hr 03min 59sec in September this year, improving on the world record he set there last year.—AFP