Berlin - The marathons at the 2009 world athletics championships will pass Germany's parliament, the Reichstag, with the start and finish as planned at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, organizers said on Monday.

It will be the first time in world championship history that the marathon races don't end in the stadium used for the other competition.

The walks will also start and finish at the Brandenburg Gate, with a two-kilometres course for walkers to be set up on the Unter den Linden avenue.

The classic 42.195-kilometres races will take place over four laps in downtown Berlin. The route will pass the landmark Reichstag building after the German parliament, the Bundestag, gave its nod.

The marathon course is not identical to that of the annual Berlin marathon, where several world records have been set.

Organizing committee managing director Heinrich Clausen also said on Monday that 170,000 of the 500,000 tickets on offer for the August 15-23 championships in the Olympic stadium have been sold. (dpa)