Recap: Le marathon de Paris

Since I had been on vacation until this past Tuesday, so had my blog.  I had not been away from my computer, but dissertation demands required a bit of a break from "fun" writing.  Now for catch-up:

April 10, 2011 - Le Marathon de Paris...

...was a success!  In terms of time, it was my third best performance as I crossed the "ligne d'arrivée" at 3:44:26.  I felt as though I was prepared to run a better time, but the 70 degree+ conditions towards the end of the race slowed my legs a bit.  Watching others pull off to the side with major body cramps, and feeling a slight cramping sensation in my upper right quad, I decided to play it safe and remain content with finishing under 3:45.

Sunrise pre-race

The outfit

Victoire!

In terms of scenery, the course was the most beautiful of my now 6 marathon finishes.  It's hard to compete with Chicago, Boston and New York, but Paris takes the cake.  The Champs-Elysées isn't closed for too many occasions (the only other sporting event I can think of is Le Tour de France bicycle race).  To run down it towards the cobblestones of the Place de la Concorde was simply magical.  The 42k loop includes views of les Tuileries, le Louvre, l'Hôtel de Ville, la Bastille, le bois et le château de Vincennes, Notre Dame, la tour Eiffel, Roland Garros, le bois de Boulogne, and many more!  For almost half of the race, we ran along the Seine and through the tunnels alongside it.  Although the organization wasn't necessarily at the level of the big city American marathons that I have run, I was ready for it and thus not overly affected. There were bands and various dance groups along the course that offered a welcome distraction for runners.  Given the rising temperatures, certain refreshment stations were equipped with waterhoses to cool us off.  We felt like children reliving the days of running through sprinklers on hot summer days.  However, instead of sprinting across the lawn in the back garden, our playground was the streets of Paris.


The race finished just short of the backside of the Arc de Triomphe.  How à propos!  Knowing that in less than 24 hours I would be boarding a plane to the US, I walked awkwardly down the side streets of the 16th arrondissement towards the Eiffel tower.

Weaving through the tourists and street vendors, I managed to find a shaded spot on the plush Champ de Mars to stretch my overworked body and marvel at the iron construction towering over me and my fellow lawn loungers and picnickers.