From a romantic perspective, there's probably no event that better represents the Olympics than the marathon; an arduous physical challenge, representing one of the greatest tests of human endurance - both physical and of the mind. It's an event that takes its cues from the same mythology that birthed the modern Games; it the tale of Pheidippides' run from Marathon to Athens that Michel Bréal took inspiration from when advocating for the event's inclusion back in Athens in 1896, envisioning a showpiece event that would harken back to the Games' ancient Hellenic origin just as Pierre de Coubertin had done with the ancient festivities at Olympia.
So perhaps it is fitting that now, 128 years later in Paris, the course for the marathon will harken back to a momentous event in Parisian and French history. Starting at the Hôtel de Ville, looping around the Château de Versailles before returning to its finish at the Esplanade des Invalides, it will follow in the steps of the Women's March on Versailles back in October of 1789, a momentous moment of the French Revolution that forced King Louis XVI and, eventually, the National Assembly to return to Paris. Adding to the sense of occasion, the likes of the Place de la Concorde, Grand Palais, Château de Versailles, Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower will provide a backdrop.
It will all be very striking and in keeping with the striking surroundings that have marked these Parisian Games. But for Australian runner Genevieve Gregson, alas, there probably won't be much scope to take stock of the sights and sounds. Because while every marathon brings with it its level of challenges for the body and mind that can serve to blur the surroundings, the beauty of Paris' route comes with its own unique set of thorns: a 436-metre climb and a 438-metre descent occurring over its 42.195km course.
"You probably don't take as much on as you would imagine you would," Gregson laughed to ESPN. "The only thing that is going to probably be very distracting is that although it is a beautiful scenic route, it's going to be brutally hilly. And from 15k to about 32k you're going to be climbing up or down.
"In this race, we're [going to] have to be pretty switched on. There's [going to] be a lot of pace changes, a lot of fluctuations, climbing up, climbing down. So I'll try to enjoy the sights as much as possible because I have heard it is one of the most scenic routes, but I've also heard it is probably one of the most brutal courses in Olympic history."
Fortunately for Gregson, she's something of a natural when it comes to this whole marathon business. In just her second-ever official race over the distance last December, she crossed the line of the Valencia Marathon with a time of just 2:23:08, becoming the third fastest female Australian marathoner of all time - to say nothing of handily meeting the standard time of 2:26:50 needed to meet Olympic qualification standards.
It added another highlight to a remarkable few years of crushing lows and soaring highs for the now-35-year-old, who will be competing in her fourth Olympics when she takes to the streets of Paris on the final day of the Games.
One of Australia's most accomplished middle-distance runners, the Queenslander provided one of the most unfortunate, lasting images of the 2021 Olympic Games when, in the final of the Women's 3000m steeplechase -- on the final water jump of the race, no less -- she fell. She fell badly. Later remarking that it happened so quickly and with such noise that it sounded like a gun had gone off, Gregson snapped the Achilles in her right ankle -- nominally her good leg -- as she landed, ending her race with the finish line in sight, in the grips of agony both physical and mental.
With desolate stands left empty by the pandemic looming overhead, she was eventually taken from the course in a wheelchair, her face buried in her hands.
"Tokyo for me at that time -- and for any elite athlete that ruptures and Achilles like that -- that's a brutal way to go out of a race on the biggest stage in the world," she recalled. "I was 32 at the time. To do that injury did feel like it was the end, mentally for me."
Understandably, such a cruel moment brought Gregson to something of a crossroads. She'd battled injuries for great lengths of her sterling career and had always planned to transition into longer distances as it progressed. But the prospect of doing another, long arduous rehabilitation process after such a gut-punch was dispiriting. Did she really want to keep doing this?
It was here, though, where another of her long standing aspirations provided her with an anchor; a desire to start a family with husband and fellow runner, two-time Olympian Ryan.
"If I hadn't fallen pregnant, I don't know how I would have found the everyday motivation to rehab another huge injury and feel like I had the energy to move forward," she said.
"But when I fell pregnant, it was like, I'll move forward. I'll rehab this injury. I'll have another crack. I'll try to make Paris, but if I don't, at least I'm, you know, going to have a baby soon, and I'm ticking off something that I've wanted to do for most of my career anyway. And it wasn't like I was standing still, wasting time on this sport that may not have rewarded me with this."
Gregson welcomed baby Archer into the world in July 2022, opening up not only a new chapter in her life but also her athletic career. Making a 'forced' transition into the marathon, she found that the demands associated with training for the distance complimented the demands of motherhood, as well as discovering a natural affinity with racing over the distance.
Out there, over the 42,195 meters of the course, she rekindled "pure joy".
"It's just such a family-friendly event," she said. "You obviously can't do many of them in the year... and all that means for me is that I'm based at home in Brisbane, near my whole family, so that everyone can help with our little boy.
"With the steeplechase, as much as I loved it and I love competing. So competing every weekend was the perk. To be a serious track runner, you have to spend about six months overseas to get the competition, race the right people, get into good events, and it's just not doable with a family to be overseas for that long. So it was a perfect transition for me.
"I've found it a really enjoyable event. It might sound crazy to just the average Joe who goes out and does a marathon, but I find the first 30 even, sometimes 35k enjoyable, like a long run. You're out on a scenic route, you're hearing the pounding of the pavement from the runners around you. It's just this really weird but beautiful flow state that you get into, and everyone's kind of running at that same pace.
"And even the last five to 10k in the two marathons that I've done haven't been painful. I can think of steeplechase races in the last few laps where I don't know if I'm going to get there, I don't know if I can jump one more time, I don't know if I can land at a water pit. With the marathon, your heart rate is never super high. You're not pushing yourself to the limit, aerobically. Your body, if anything, is deteriorating.
"I found that in the two marathons I've done, it's been nothing but pure joy.
"And when I'm out there running, I'm in my thoughts for two and a half hours; but positive thoughts of I can't believe I've made it here. I'm healthy, I'm strong, I feel good. I'm passing girls, I'm moving forward, I'm running a good time."
And for all the legacy that comes with the marathon at the Olympics, Gregson and her fellow runners will be helping to write new history in Paris.
For the first time, the women's marathon -- which was only introduced at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 -- will serve as the final event of a Games being touted as the first to feature an equal 50/50 amongst participants. The men's marathon, which has previously filled that slot, has shifted to the day before.
124 years since they first competed -- on the same route where the women spearheaded a revolution more than 200 years ago -- women will see out the Games.
"I find that so fitting," Gregson reflected. "Especially because the Australian women's team are all mothers. That's something that's going to go down in history as well. More and more mothers are competing as professional athletes.
"I just find it fitting that we get to round out the whole games on such a historical course for women, and that we're going to have our families on the side cheering us on. I'm really excited about it. I think it's going to be just like a beautiful moment for all of us,
"Not just physically and aerobically, have I improved so much since before being a mum. Perspective is the main one that women find when they have a kid. For so long, when you're a professional athlete, it is the most important thing in your life, so any losses or adversity that you face feels like the end of the world, and it is hard to kind of wrap your head around that and move forward and problem solve.
"But when you're a mum and you face a bad race or you get hurt or you lose a game, you kind of just shake it off and think there's so much more importance to my life than this event or this sport. I've found that I'm more relaxed and I enjoy it more. The journey has been so fun, and despite what happens in Paris -- even though I think I'm going to run well -- if I didn't, I would still be able to walk away and think, Wow, what a what an amazing two and a half years that I've had to be here. And like, I'm so grateful for this opportunity."