This race was HUGE. 41,000 runners. Thankfully the race started in waves and since I had reported a 4 hour finishing time that meant that we started at 9:30 am. The late starting time was wonderful and since we didn't have much of a walk from our hotel (Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile), we didn't even leave until 8am. The starting line was directly on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées which was probably the neatest starting line I've ever seen. Similar to the Berlin Marathon, they had some aerobic instructors walking the crowd through a bizarre jazzercize-like warm-up. They also provided everyone with a little plastic bag vest to wear which was really nice because it was fairly cold at the start. The corrals were all divided by time and they were strict about which corral you could enter. Even though Paul was entered in the 3 hour corral, he was running with me today, so they let him into a lower one with no problem. If you look through my photos you can tell that they are ALL GUYS. The race was 75% male and 25% female and you could really tell. One notable difference between this race and any other was that they did not play any national anthem. They just did a countdown in French and we were off! Every race review I had read prior to the race stated that the port-o-potty situation was ATROCIOUS. Don't count on using the johns in the corrals, they said. So, I didn't. Our hotel was only 1k from the starting line, so I went before with the intention of not going again. And I didn't! But shortly after we started, I realized I did need to pee. Too bad. Not a single port-o-potty until the 10k mark. 6 miles is pretty far when you have to go. ESPECIALLY when you aren't even sure if they are going to have them there. I panicked a bit when there weren't any at the 5k stop and cringed watching every single guy run off to the side to just pee on the trees, street, cars, anything. So, I spent the first hour slightly panicked that I was going to have to pee my pants, but thankfully the 10k aid station was my savior. They do paint a blue line on the course. Following that blue line is the 'true' distance of the course, so if you don't stray from the line, you should run exactly 26.2. But regardless if you were on the line or not, I've never had a race with less personal space. The course wasn't necessarily crowded, but runners do not go around you. Even running maybe just shoulder-length apart, Paul and I constantly had runners jumping between us. We went through quite a few tunnels, but the entrances/exits of the tunnels were really the only hills on the course. It was a very flat course! What I LOVED about Paris: - Mile markers in km AND miles.. which was a super nice touch! - Signage in French and very poorly translated English (a good laugh is always needed during long runs). There were signs EVERYWHERE. They even had "Aid Station in 200 m" signs which I really, really liked. I could get my gel out, eat it, and then be ready for water :) :) - Great views of the Arc, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Bastille, the Seine, and more. This course actually takes you by (or in sight of) it all... AND they had signage up telling you when you were passing something! 90% of the things I would have just ran past without realizing it! - Aid stations handed out full (8oz) water bottles at each aid station! I like running with a waterbottle, so this was super nice for me. There was also far less plastic litter on the ground than at Berlin where it was a hazard. They had tons of recycling bins and they said all the trash was going to be sorted. - Finisher shirts were given out AT the finish line. - Tons and tons of entertainment! They claimed 100+ entertainment stops on the course. Lots of drums, but also bands and orchestras and singers. - Great finisher's shirt and even better medal. Love the medal! What I did not like about Paris: - No port-o-potties until the 10k aid station (however, I will say once I saw the port-o-potties there were never lines!). - Only one 'Gatorade' stop around mile 18. Only water at all the rest stops. read more

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My wife (currently but fiancee at the time of the event) and I decided to run the Paris Marathon as our fun run/destination marathon after the Los Angeles Marathon. We couldn't have picked a better marathon. Since we weren't running this for time we really didn't have any worries other than the cut off which we knew we could make pretty easily. Imagine yourself with 30-35,000 other runners taking over the streets of Paris. The run in the City of Lights and/or Love starts at the Champs Elysees and finishes about a mile away from the start. The course takes you through a lot of neighborhoods in Paris that aren't so famous but it also takes you pass the well know tourist attractions. Such as the Place de Concorde (which was also being set up for their Presidential debates later that same day), the Bastille, Cathedral de Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, and last but not least the Eiffel Tower. The crowd support was fantastic. Allez, allez, allez! That was the chant we heard throughout the entire run. I kind of wish there was a little more music though. The race support was also fantastic. There was water stops roughly every 5K but instead of little cups they handed out little water bottles. I actually prefer that idea over little cups every mile since I can run with something in my hand. Along with water at the aid stations there was usually oranges, bananas and raisins. The raisins are kind of odd but it is what it is. The volunteers were really nice and helpful. Merci! The way the organizers set up the start was really good. Once you crossed the starting line you could actually start running vs the run stop shuffle at other races. The only challenge was getting into your coral in the beginning. The entrance was so small that it was really congested and caused a bottle neck pile up. Once you got into the coral it was pretty easy. The expo was huge and nice. A lot of stuff to buy and see. Overall, I am happy we ran it. it was a great flat course and I can see a lot of people running a PR if they took it seriously. The best part was the 8:30AM start! You get to sleep in a little. For Los Angeles, I was up at 3:30AM. Merci Paris for your hospitality! read more