Chattanooga officials have submitted a letter of intent stating the city plans to bid to host the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials marathon.
"We're at the very beginning stages. There's a lot of work to be done," Chattanooga Sports Committee President Tim Morgan said.
The city still must formally submit the bid, which must be done by March.
The men's and women's race will be held on the same day early in 2020. An exact date has not been finalized.
Atlanta, Austin, Tex. and Orlando, Fla. also submitted bids, according to USA Track & Field.
"To have four new bidders for the Olympic Trials Marathon speaks to the attractiveness of the property and the support for our increasingly successful American marathon corps," USATF CEO Max Siegel wrote in a release. "We look forward to taking the Olympic Trials to a new city to select one of the world's best Olympic marathon teams."
The event will compliment a growing list of national and international sporting events in the city, Morgan said.
"When you have the tools in the shed, why not get them out and put them to work?"
A selection committee will announce the final site selection this spring. It then must be approved by the United States Olympic Committee.
The event will be in addition to existing marathons and will not take the place of any of the current races, Morgan said.
Marathons and half marathons in Chattanooga have had several miscalculations in the last several years, but that's not something city officials are worried about.
"No concern," Morgan said. "... The steps taken at the local and national level to ensure the measurements are correct is significant."
Two people with Chattanooga ties qualified for this year's Olympic Trials marathon.
This is a developing story. Stay with the Times Free Press for more.