A flag parade was held in Bernau today before competition gets underway tomorrow.

The race venue is located 5km away from Bernau train station at the Bernau-Bauhaus monument.

The course starts and ends at the monument, with participants completing an initial short loop of 2.5 km and then 13 loops of 7.5 km.

"The Local Organising Committee has chosen the city of Bernau very carefully,” said Olaf Ilk, head of the German Ultramarathon Union (DUV).

"The charm of the city with its neighbourhood to the metropolis Berlin and the excellent transport connections were factors too."

The event will be organised by the DUV and German Athletics Association.

Berlin and Bernau have previously played host to a 100-mile race along the former Berlin Wall, as well as events covering 50km and 100km and a 24-hour competition.

The IAU 100km World Championships were cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was last staged in 2018 in Sveti Martin na Muri in Croatia.

This is the IAU's flagship event, with the distance and world records recognised by World Athletics.