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May 17, 2024

Paris Int'l Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Paris Int'l Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 3.6

Spectators 3.9

Number of comments: 191 [displaying comments 141 to 151]

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a. b. from London, England (4/20/2005) "top notch" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The course was fairly flat and varied, with the gorgeous streets of central Paris and the woods at either end passed through. We also ran near the river and had one large tunnel to contend with, which was an experience! Organization was good, plenty of refreshments, maybe not enough toilets for women but there were enthusiastic crowds most of the way. Thoroughly enjoyable and a 'runners' race in the sense that there were not so many fun runners, which was great and reflected in the fast times!
Jennifer Rich from Washington, DC (4/14/2005) "Fantastique!" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and I would do the course again in a heartbeat. Aside from the lack of porta-johns at the start, and really throughout, it was a fantastic way to see the city. There were spectators almost the whole way along the course, and the course itself was fairly flat. No shortage of oranges or water, and the weather was perfect. Looking forward to '06!
J. S. from Newark, Ohio, USA (4/13/2005) "great course, great bands, few spectators" (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The race had beautiful scenery. The streets are not a problem. I loved the many different types of entertainment along the way. There were places along the race that no one was watching which was disappointing. There could have been more bathrooms at more areas along the way. The woods were very popular. I thought that the drink stations were dangerous. The banana & orange peels in the drink area were all over the ground. They also had water bottles instead of plastic cups which were often dropped in the running area. I thought someone should have been there to sweep it to the side. This would have been very helpful. I was very happy that I went.
P. H. from Ottawa, Canada (4/13/2005) "More Toilets Please" (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Warning: if you plan to run Paris go to the toilet before arriving at the start!!! Each starting corral was equipped with a mere 4 port-o-potties... that means about 1,000 runners per toilet. I waited for one unsuccessfully for half an hour before finally giving up and, like dozens of other runners, I hit one of the side streets off the Champs d'Elysees to finally relieve myself. Maybe the Parisians are just used to seeing this on a daily basis, so why should marathon day be any different. Anyway it was pretty disgusting and it could potentially ruin somebody's run. On the bright side, the start is easily accesible by metro, so you can take care of business at home and arrive at the last minute without any trouble.
J. C. from London, England (4/13/2005) "Can't wait to do it again!!" (about: 2005) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Registering on line was easy. All of the info came through the post well before the big day. Only gripe with the info is that it would have been nice to have a better map of the route. The expo where you need to pick up your kit is miles out of Paris so allow good time to get there and it is virtually impossible to get a cab back to the center. Total bun fight at the start with everyone totally crammed in between rails. Great atmosphere though. Very few loos en route. I ended up having to nip into a cafe along the way which held up my time a bit. (Of course it is so much easier for men.) Great fuel points. Lots of water, prunes and oranges - even wine at 40km! Loads of really encouraging spectators - especially kids wanting 'high fives.' This is Paris, so of course the views were amazing, but nothing prepared me for the sense of elation at finishing at the Arc de Triomphe. Roll on 2006. I'll be there with bells on.
Mike Newing from London (4/13/2005) "...No Isotonic Drinks! Bring Your Own!" (about: 2005) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 True to say running in Paris in the springtime is a wonderful experience, although it felt very crowded throughout the race and everyone was fighting to find their own space. The absence of isotonic drinks made the whole experience quite difficult and the inclusion of alcholic beverages towards the end of the race didn't help to improve performance, I am sure, for those who decided to indulge. My advice if I was to run this race again is to carry your own drinking supply.
Keith VARNHAM from Bristol,England (4/11/2005) "This was a great occasion - wonderful!" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 As usual many runners failed to observe the starting grid rules. This caused blockage and congestion. Moreover the final feed station at 40k should be one side only. With both sides serving runners and the center occupied by walking competitors made it very difficult for runners to pass and did spoil the final burst of energy to acquire a PB.
T. B. from Alabama (4/6/2005) "Do it if you can!" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 It was an incredible experience to have the opportunity to run 2004 Paris Marathon. Well organized (but not hyper organized) and you simply can't beat the scenery. It's hard to describe running past all the buildings/monuments. Only in France could they run out of water at the 40k (last) water station. However, not to worry, they had plenty of wine at km 41. When in France... Would do it again in a heartbeat.
R. G. from New York City (11/12/2004) "Paris is great, but the organization..." (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I ran this race in 2004 and I had a great time. But the organization needs to improve! The worst thing happened to my friend. His chip did not function and his times were not recorded. Since he ran a PR and a Boston qualifier, it was extremely important for him to have an official recognition of his time. When we approached the organizers the only answer we got was 'Desolee'', 'Sorry, bad luck'. Even after we showed them the race pictures showing him all along the course they refused to give him an official time. We spoke to organizers of other marathons and they told us that although chip malfunction is known to occur there are ways to deal with it and that in any case my friend should have been given an official time by the organizers. After tons and tons of phone calls (in French as nobody there spoke any other language!) they agreed to send him a certificate with the time my friend claimed, which was confirmed by the pictures (people next to him in the pictures finish with the same time). However it's almost 9 months after the marathon and he still hasn't received the certificate and all his calls and emails are going unanswered. I had lesser problems. First of all, all the mailings from the organizers arrived to my house extremely late (some pre-race stuff arrived actually AFTER the race). My certificate arrived only in late June, almost THREE months after the race. The results on the site are very badly organized: for example the split times are given in the actual clock time (I passed the 10K mark at 9:32am... why not put my actual time?). The quality of the race pictures is poor. No 'crossing the finish line' picture or race pictures in some characteristic Paris spot. If you look at my pics you wouldn't guess I am in Paris, as it could be New Jersey! In any case, I still had fun! Paris is a wonderful city, and the course is just spectacular. It's also flat and fast and I didn't experience crowded conditions. Race conditions were perfect and I PR'd.
S. G. from Fanwood, New Jersey (4/29/2004) "A Beautiful and Memorable Marathon!" (about: 2003) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Paris is a lovely city to run through and the excitement at the start was just electric. Be very careful in the first mile - the plastic bags, clothing and water bottles strewn everywhere made for a treacherous start. Several water stations nearing the finish ran out of water and vital energy was very hard to find if at all. If you come make sure to use sports drink before and carry plenty of sports gel with you. I found the spectators to be very supportive yelling, "allez, allez" when they could be found in the center of town and at the bridges. Running along the Seine was very cool! Go and enjoy, but be prepared.

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