European marathon championship does double duty

The Rothaus Hegau Bike Marathon in Singen, Germany will serve as the 2013 European Marathon Championships. Also a round of the UCI Marathon World Series, the race is doubling as a qualifier for marathon Worlds.

Because marathon Worlds are early this season - in Kirchberg, Austria on June 29 - there are only six UCI World Series events prior to the world championships and therefore not many chances to qualify for Worlds.

Organizers say that having their event be part of the UCI World Series is a big deal, but that it won't change their plans to put on the race. The course will still cover 94km for the men and 75km for the women. The top 20 finishers automatically qualify for Worlds. They also get points toward the World Series rankings, which end one week before Worlds. The top 50 men and 20 women in the World Series will get a ticket to compete in Worlds.

Because the race is doing double duty as the European championships and a part of the Marathon World Series, racers from all over the world can compete, not just Europeans.

The UCI Marathon World Series will kick off its 18 events for 2013 at the Sabie Classic in South Africa.