Paris may not be known as a particularly ‘sporting’ city. But every April this changes for the Paris Marathon. Over 35,000 runners crowd the streets of Paris on the day (this year it will be held Sunday, April 11) which sees Parisians swapping their fashionable shoes for a pair of basquette for the day.
The first Marathon International de Paris was held in 1896 and attracted 191 participants. These days of course its seems like the whole city turns out to see the runners, though there is noticeable lack of support
Paris marathon
around the final stretch in the Bois de Boulogne, the huge park on the city’s western edge.
But you don’t have to go so far out to cheer them along nor enjoy the special street music that has been organised for the event. The 42km route starts in the heat of Paris, in front of the Arc de Triomphe, before continuing down the Champs-Élysées in Paris and all the famous landmarks including the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame cathedral. If you think you’ve got what it takes to participate in the Paris Marathon, it’s not too late to sign u. Or if you just want to dip your toe in, you can join in on the 5km ‘Breakfast Race’ that takes place the day beforehand.
