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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 151 to 161]
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B. C. from Toronto, Canada
(4/18/2004)
 "Great place to run a marathon" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 What can you say about running in a lovely old city like Paris? it was stunning, every time you take a turn you see something either a known icon ie De la Concorde, the Louvre, or just an old building. Running around the Eifel Tower was really so neat, had to stop and get our picture taken with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Downside: sparse and not very enthusiastic crowds, Treacherous start (with all the ponchos and water bottles thrown everywhere), and food stations with orange peels on the ground making it very slippery. All in all it was a fantastic first marathon | |
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G. R. from Saskatchewan, Canada
(4/14/2004)
"Dense crowds overwhelmed all the good stuff" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 How can you not love running in Paris in the springtime?... starting at the Champs Elysees and running past the Place du Concord and the Eiffel Tower? Well, I didn't. With 30,000 other runners, and constant litter underfoot, I barely raised my eyes above the pavement (cobblestones?). I even missed the Eiffel Tower. The four tunnels were the best part - the runners created a moving sound wave every time we passed through a tunnel. The course is flat and the crowds amazing, (I loved hearing the crowds cheer, 'Allez, allez les femmes!) but that many runners in one crowd was too much for me! | |
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C. N. from Aarhus, Denmark
(4/14/2004)
 "A marathon to be recommended" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Good: - Relatively flat and nice course in a beautiful city. - Good food and bottles of water. - Optimal weather conditions. - Fine poncho in finish area. Bad: - Very crowded. - Missing meeting point afterwards. - Parked cars on the course. - In my opinion, a humble expo. | |
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J. B. from Connecticut
(4/13/2004)
 "A great course" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The 2004 marathon followed a spectacular course and I saw places in Paris that I would guess very few Americans ever see. The start was well organized and the totality of the course was pretty flat (if there were uphill climbs I didn't really notice because of all the people around me). The crowds were good when people were actually around, but the race went into at least two parks that had no people at all. The second of the two is around mile 23 or 24 and a lot of people started to walk (I was running a 8 minute mile pace). The end was a mess - you had to walk forever to get to any water or food. The water and fruit were plentiful, but attempting to find family and friends without a cell phone was a joke. The race booklet indicated that there would be tents set up with initials so meeting would be possible, but the man stationed at the medical tent laughed when I asked him about this. I would recommend this course, but keep in mind there is only water to drink with one PowerGel station at 30km (I think), although the water stations all have oranges, bananas, sugar cubes, lemons, and raisins (one even had wine!). | |
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M. B. from Brussels, Belgium
(4/13/2004)
"A great marathon" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Paris Int'l Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was marathon number 34 for me and my 4th time in Paris. Once again I had a great time. I will not repeat my previous comments on this website. As this year, I started waaaay back, I can say that maybe 35,000 participants is too much for this race. Some bottlenecks where you just cannot run, no more water at the 35km point, over-crowded expo, etc. It would be wise to reduce the number of racers to a maximum of 25,000... Unlike the previous years, there were no toilets at the starting area and no family reunion area at the finish. Anyway, a great marathon. Unlike some marathons in other prestigious european cities (Praha for example) you never run through ugly industrial areas or highways. Definitely a must in Europe. | |
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A. H. from Toronto, Ontario
(4/12/2004)
"Nice race but much room for improvement" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my fourth marathon and the first one outside of the US. The organization of this race cannot compare to any other major marathons in the US. Finish area was a disaster when a 'volunteer' refused to give me two bottles of water when I asked for them... Medal is not the greatest but this is not the reason one runs marathons. Having to wait almost 15 minutes in line to leave the finish area due to the number of family members looking for loved ones was a mess. Marathons should be about the runners and not the spectators. The course was beautiful, I liked the remote areas in the eastern part of the city as well as the tunnel at around 27km. Water stops were few but you actually had a chance to drink the water you were given since it was in a bottle. Sponges were a nice additions as well, quite refreshing. Cobblestones weren't a big problem, scenery was beautiful and having run a Boston qualifier made it that much sweeter at the end... A great race but much room for improvement... | |
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K. M. from Toronto, Canada
(4/11/2004)
"Good marathon" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The Paris Marathon is a great international race but there is some room for improvement. There is no access to water or bathrooms at the start so make sure you take care of everything before you get to the start. The start is crowded so take your time getting to the mats at the start line. The route was pretty and snakes around most of the highlights in the city. They did run out of water at one of the last water stations and between 3 and 5k from the finish there were some major bottlenecks. The fellow runners weren't always the most accommodating if you wanted to squeeze by. The finish was ok, they 'forgot' to put up the family reunion area so I would suggest making a back-up plan in case you need it. Otherwise, a good course and pretty good time of year weather wise! | |
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Don Ropp from Delaware, USA
(4/11/2004)
"Great course and crowd support but disorganized" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my sixth marathon, but first outside the U.S. Likes: The scenery, the crowds urging you on with shouts of 'Aller!, Aller!' (Go!, Go!), easy access by metro to the start line, the plastic bottles of water (in that you can get a full 10 oz or so and can actually drink most of it on the run), banana halves at several places along the course, and of course so much to see and do before and after the race in Paris. Dislikes: not having the promised alphabetic designated meeting areas at the finish, no crowd control to allow the runners out of the finish chutes and into the starting corrals, hazardous footing at water stops due to discarded orange & banana peels and half full water bottles, sections that were too narrow for the estimated 35K runners. Overall: I enjoyed the marathon, but thought it harder than expected for such a flat course. I do recommend it and hope that the organizers can make the necessary 'tweaks' to make it truly great. Thanks Paris! | |
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G. M. from Dallas, TX
(4/8/2004)
"Great Marathon!" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The course was great, a couple of hills, but relatively flat. The only problem was they ran out of water at the 35km stop! The only thing that really disappointed me was that the medal was very cheaply made and looked it. Not representative of a great marathon and city! | |
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B. M. from Boulder, CO (USA)
(4/7/2004)
"Great Experience" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I previously ran Chicago and NYC marathons. Paris expo was well organized, small compared to US marathon expos, and easily accessible by the metro. They had little running apparel and accessories for sale, so bring everything with you. Bring your passport and a copy of the medical certificate (in addition to your registration confirmation) as they asked for both at check-in. The Paris course is absolutely BEAUTIFUL throughout (unlike Chicago & NYC, you don't run through any seedy areas). Not many spectators outside of downtown Paris. This marathon doesn't have the hoopla about town that a big US marathon would. Relatively flat course, but very crowded. Weather was perfect (cool and damp). There's no food or water at the start, so come prepared and well hydrated. Also, don't count on getting a chance at the toilets at the start. There are just not enough!! Good (albeit slippery) support every 5K (water, bananas, oranges) but no sports drink (I ran with a fuel belt). The pacing system was well organized and 'hares' were easily identified by colored balloons. I highly recommend skipping the wine stop at 37K (don't ask!). Snaking through the park the last few miles was painful, you don't see the Arc de Triumph until about .20 miles out, and it seems that the course will never end! Finish is unremarkable with more fruit and water. Bring money for vendor food stands. Arrange to meet your friends at a street corner afterwards...the meeting area was very disorganized. Overall this was a super marathon with a European personality. People were courteous despite the cramped course. Also, don't expect much English or estrogen on this course (less than 20% women). |
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