Athletics-World champs marathons start, end at Brandenburg Gate

BERLIN, March 21 (Reuters) - The marathons at the world championships in August will start and finish at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said on Saturday.

It is the first time in a major event the races will neither start nor end in the stadium.

The course will loop four times in a 10-km stretch to allow fans to see the runners more than once. The men's marathon is due to take place on Aug. 22 and the women's the next day.

The IAAF are also for the first time considering a carpet for race walkers around the Brandenburg Gate because the cobblestones could prove slippery for athletes.

"Athletics is adapting. If we don't adapt we are going to die," Bill Bailey, IAAF Council member and a technical delegate for the championships, told reporters on the sidelines of a Council meeting.

"The overall impression is one of a spectacular and historic venue," he said of the Aug. 15-23 event at the Berlin Olympic stadium.

Bailey said a 'no false start rule' the IAAF was considering would not be in place for Berlin as it needed to be passed by congress, which meets at the time of the world championships.

If approved in August, the rule would mean any athlete making a false start would be immediately disqualified. The rule would come into force in 2010,

At present, an athlete making a false start is given a warning and then anyone committing further false starts is disqualified.

(Editing by Alison Wildey)