Paris Marathon

5 watchers

runningmum68 Jan 2019 5:51pm, 12 Jan 2019 21 posts	0 runningmum68 Hi. Anyone training for the Paris Marathon. Would love to hear from people who are and especially those who have run it before. I'm really looking forward to running around Paris and would love to hear about other people's experiences.
Lucian Jan 2019 11:09pm, 13 Jan 2019 First-time poster!!	0 Lucian I'm doing this one for the first time. So I can't help you at all with what it's like but it should be great running around the sights of Paris.
RRR-CAZ Jan 2019 12:47am, 14 Jan 2019 3,075 posts	0 RRR-CAZ I ran it back it 2013
Goofee Jan 2019 7:51am, 14 Jan 2019 2,280 posts	0 Goofee I ran it in 2013 too, in fact I travelled to the start with RRR-CAZ It set off in waves, so despite the very high numbers there was enough space to run properly at the start. The only real 'hills' I recall were coming up out of the underpasses. (but looking at the profile on my run data it seems there was a bit more than that) There were a couple of instances of spectators crossing the course without paying much attention and a moped even joined with the flow for a short while - all without the marshals doing anything to get involved. On a personal note my main memory of it is passing out on the Metro on my way back to the hotel after the race. Coming round laying on your back on a train with a load of strangers looking down at you speaking a foreign language is a weird experience!
Fitz Jan 2019 8:32am, 14 Jan 2019 2,026 posts	0 Fitz 2013? #MeToo (sorry) What I remember: The start was a bit of a scrum. Quite reasonably the Champs Elysee is fenced off but the access points into the start area were very tight. It pays to get there early and beat the melee... ... but then it was absolutely bloody freezing waiting for the start. Jettison-layers and bin-bags to the rescue [note, I realise that the weather may not necessarily be the same this year! ] First couple of miles is on lovely wide boulevards so it allows the crowd to disperse and you can find your pace & rhythm quickly. Good support in the first few miles (without being massively over-crowded), thins out considerably at the "far end" of the course through Bois de Vincennes. Miles 14-20 along the Seine. Quite a few undulations down & up the underpasses, as Goofee says, plus a particularly unpleasant long tunnel where the air is not very nice at all (but there's piped music to help take your mind off it!). Crowd thins out again from 22-25 through the Bois de Boulogne. I think I recall some cobbles there but it was a long time ago and my mind may be playing tricks on me. Big finish (uphill!) facing the Arc de Triomphe. PeeBeed it! Here's the route from the day (may have altered since then) http://www.fetcheveryone.com/route-1310428 Paris is defnitely one I'd like to go back to, one day. Bon chance!
minardi Jan 2019 9:53am, 14 Jan 2019 4,383 posts	0 minardi I won a last minute place via fetch in 2011 and absolutely loved it. The lack of toilets was a bit disconcerting - I remember popping into an underground carpark near the start to pee between cars As Fitz says wear discardable layers but beware of the bin bags that have already been discarded once everyone starts moving - I saw a couple of people go flying as their feet got all tangled up. Be prepared to pee in a bush - if you can find one that's unoccupied! It's a great sight seeing all these shrubs with heads sticking out from the middle of them One of my overriding memories is of a band playing the theme to the Pink Panther along the Seine. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Please pop in here and do a race report - or blog it and put a link in.
♪♫ Synge ♪♫ Jan 2020 10:20pm, 10 Jan 2020 30,694 posts	0 ♪♫ Synge ♪♫ I was surprised to see on the website that entries are still open for 2020. Is anyone doing this? I’m just toying with the idea of entering it to give me a focus for the next three months. (Plus I have never been to the Musee d’Orsay and this would create an ideal opportunity!)
WA Jan 2020 10:27pm, 10 Jan 2020 6,466 posts	0 WA Ran it in 2012 and loved it. Lots of hanging around at the beginning because they set you off in waves, but it means you can run from the start instead of waiting for a gap to run in. I was a bit disappointed by level of support- compared to London there is very little. That may have changed in the last 7 years. Not hilly, but a few ups and downs around the road tunnels. Gorgeous scenery, I particularly enjoyed running by the Tuileries and there's a parkland bit near the end too. I've almost convinced myself to do it again
♪♫ Synge ♪♫ Jan 2020 11:30am, 11 Jan 2020 30,695 posts	0 ♪♫ Synge ♪♫ Sounds like a great course. I'll look at the route properly today. And wave starts are fine as long as you have some idea when you are due to start. I've looked at flights and can fly EasyJet from Bristol for just over £200 return, so affordability will depend a bit on accommodation options, which presumably will be plentiful enough to suit all pockets.
♪♫ Synge ♪♫ Mar 2020 8:55pm, 5 Mar 2020 31,212 posts	0 ♪♫ Synge ♪♫ I didn't enter this in the end. It's sad to see the announcement today that it has been postponed on account of the spread of coronavirus in France.