Paris Marathon 2018

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Comments

  • StephAStephA ✭✭✭
    Eggy, wow, your Ultra sounds brutal, what were you thinking?!

    I can't wait to get to April and am not too worried about the actual marathon (yet...), but I do feel like the training is starting to take over my life - I don't know what I used to do with all my spare time?!
    I'm doing my best to find ways to save time, like running home from work and planning to do easy recovery runs with the dog to combine her walks with my training, but even so, fitting in enough miles is a challenge! I've found the running club to be a godsend for those long Sunday runs.
  • Eggyh73Eggyh73 ✭✭✭
    Thinking! I knew I forgot to do something.

    Marathon training is the hard part. It's good you've found a way to help you through the long runs.
  • Morning All Happy New Year.

    Liam, well done on stumping up the extra few bob and switching your train to an earlier arrival. I reckon anyone arriving late on the Saturday should follow this. Trains can be delayed, you don't know if there will be any aggravation getting to the Expo on time before it shuts, or if you are relying on someone else to collect your race pack for you. I've never been in that position and I wouldn't like to be. I like to be in control of my own stuff. Make arrangements so you can get a morning train or flight and get to the expo with plenty of time to spare, if it costs a few more quid to change the booking consider paying the extra to do so. You'll feel so much more relaxed. I like to stay relaxed before the race. 

    Keep the bib numbers / starting zone colours flowing in and I will post up the thread bib list every now and then. 

  • Starting Zones & Bib numbers
    Préférentiel / Preferential
    ??? Rae2
    Rouge / Red
    3451 -  Macctheknacca
    3750 -  0054
    Jaune / Yellow
    Bleu / Blue
    22065 -  roadrunner_Pete
    Violet / Purple
    29564 -  Pistol101
    29595 -  thisisnatty
    30474 - danielofsmith
    34705 -  thisisben
    Vert / Green
    43443 - Tired Legs
    44777 - EHN
    45840 -  Fleet Girl
    46945 - Maxnmuffin
    59490 - RoddyMac
    65664 -  KatyV
    68716 -  danthevan
    Gris / Grey
    Rose / Pink
    69194 - StephA
    72028 -  HB_runs
    72805 - gk_nash

  • Hi gang... looking forward to keeping in touch with everyone for my first Paris marathon.

    Bib No. 18515 (yellow start? sub 3:15)

    Wishing us all an injury free journey to the start line!
  • FRG2FRG2 ✭✭✭
    Have to reiterate what Jimbob said... my daughter was delayed a good two or three hours on Eurostar last year and would have been too late to make it to the expo. (Thankfully she was coming to support, so it didn't really matter !)
  • Jimbob, I am number 741 for the list.
    Training started half in ernest last week. I like to blog my training, you can read it here if you are interested - richardrae.de (I live in Germany, hence the .de!)
  • OO54OO54 ✭✭✭
    Hello folks. Yes Jimbob is right. I arrive on Friday but have a 3pm fight booked Sunday so it will be a swift exit. Main challenge now is the dreaded medical certificate....
  • Hey Jim! Yes hopefully changing train will pay off! My bib is 11537, sub 3.15 I believe. I also wanted to ask, did you mention that someone in this group normally organises a pasta dinner at a restaurant the night before? I'd totally be up for joining! :)
  • Hi everyone, I'm Colin form Northern Ireland and have just came across the thread. Looking forward to running my first major marathon outside of Northern Ireland.

    I'm in Vert/green 45150 but looking to hopefully smash the sub 4 time.

    Also looking to visit the city again after the Euros!

    Going to read through all the comment but anyone recommend the must does for both the marathon and visiting the city. Heard the breakfast run is worth doing.

    Looking forward to joining in and being part of this group
  • > @Eggyh73 said:
    > minminminminh - Welcome to the thread! You've picked a great event for your first marathon.
    >
    > There is normally a forum support group that goes to certain points on the course. Paris is a good event if your partner wants to see you at a few places on the course. It's easy to navigate around on the Metro. I have a copy of a supporters guide that was written up by one of the Paris regulars that details how to get between a few good viewing points on the course. If you want a copy let me know and I'll send you it.
    >
    > As for what your partner wants to do, you'd be a better judge of that. If they're comfortable using the public transport in Paris they can easily catch you at a few places on route by themselves. If they are less confident they could just plan to see you at the end. If they are slightly nuts they can join the support crew from here and join in the flag waving and screaming fun!

    Hi @Eggyh73 could I have a copy of that please
  • Still making my way through all the comments, but have a question, I normal run with a camelbac but I see there is water bottles every 5k and thinking of using them instead. what are the stops like and is it bottles at everyone?
  • Eggyh73Eggyh73 ✭✭✭
    Soupy600 - I've sent you a copy of the supporters guide.

    There are water stations every 5km or so on the course. I can't recall if it's cups or bottles they provide, as I carry my own drink so never stop at them. The water stations are utter carnage, as people will suddenly change pace and direction the second the notice the water station. Also beware of underfoot conditions around them as they tend to offer fruit as well, which people throw all over the place.

    Paris was my first sub-4 back in 2012. Every year I've ran Paris I've done the Breakfast Run. They've altered the course for that a few times over the years, but I've always enjoyed it. It's a very easy paced 5km (in fact last years route measured shorter than 5km). There's coffee, pastries and bananas given out at the finish. A nice way to spend a Saturday morning in my opinion.
  • Eggyh73Eggyh73 ✭✭✭
    edited January 2018
    LiamRunner7 - Welcome to the thread!

    In years past there has always been a Saturday evening meal meet up organised, normally at PastaPapas just off the Champs Elysée, as it was the only place that could hold the numbers involved. I helped organised it last year and I think we had near enough 50 people at that one.

    I won't be in Paris this year (I've ran it in 5 of the last 6 years), as I'll be in holiday mode in South Africa having signed up for Two Oceans which is the weekend before Paris.

    Hopefully one of the old regulars will be pop by closer to the race day and organise it. Pasta Papas is good for simple food for a large group. If the numbers involved are smaller there would be nicer places you could book.

    Last year we also reserved the upstairs at Frog and Revolution pub at Bastille for the Sunday evening post run celebration. It was a nice pub, with good pub grub.
  • Hi Everyone other than to get your bib and sign up for the breakfast fun is the Expo worth going to? I arrive in Paris about 10am and thinking of heading to the Expo then and then onto to hotel.
  • Eggyh73Eggyh73 ✭✭✭
    edited January 2018
    The expo is large at Paris. Much like any of these things though how long you want to spend there depends on if you're a shopper or not. After the bib collection zone there's the official Paris Marathon gear store, then you exit that to a hall full of merchants trying to sell running gear, food and people trying to talk you into entering more marathons.

    It's not somewhere you're going to spend a huge amount of time. It's also worth noting it's a fair bit out from the city centre. If you're flying into CDG the expo location is pretty much on the other side of the city. It's a bit of a trek out from Gare de Nord for those arriving on the Eurostar.
  • Running RodentRunning Rodent ✭✭✭
    edited January 2018
    Soupy - it may be different this year, but I think you sign up for the breakfast run online in advance, rather than at the Expo. I’ve never actually done it though, so someone else may be able to confirm.
  • Eggyh73Eggyh73 ✭✭✭
    Yes, you sign up for the breakfast run online, same site that you use to enter the marathon.

    You do need to collect the tshirt you wear for the breakfast run at the expo though.
  • @Running Rodent, yes think I seen that but only signed for the marathon at that point.

    Can you sign up for the breakfast run if your not running the marathon?
  • Eggyh73Eggyh73 ✭✭✭
    Soupy600 - Yes, you can.

    The person doing so needs to sign-up to the ASO website that you needed to register with to enter the marathon.

    Once they make the breakfast run entries available on that site (might be there already, last year they didn't add it until a few weeks before the marathon) they'll be able to sign-up just for the breakfast run.
  • @Eggyh73 brilliant thanks.

    Any advise on train tickets the stay? I got a 3 day pass the last time I was there for the central zones, but I'm there for 5 days this time is this the best way to do it and can they be bough in advance?
  • Eggyh73Eggyh73 ✭✭✭
    I've never bought a pass while there. I normally just buy a carnet of tickets (10 tickets) for the Metro and buy additional ones if I need them. You can buy those at the vending machines inside the metro stations.

    Those tickets give you access to all of the Metro. If you are coming/going from CDG airport you'll need a separate ticket for the RER train.
  • What Eggy said. You can also buy a carnet (book) of 10 at the bar if you’re travelling by Eurostar, saves queuing at the station when you arrive.
  • Thanks I'm coming from northern ireland and fighting into CDG thought the 5 day pass would be best its about 65 euro
  • FRG2FRG2 ✭✭✭
    A carnet is €15 for 10 tickets, so depends how much you'll be using the bus/metro...
  • Thanks everyone had another look and as yous have said the carnet looks the best and then a single ticket from the airport only seems to be about 11 euro
  • Hope training is going well for everyone. Just a quick question, on the official website it says this:
    "Are there toilets along the route?

    You will find toilets, near the left luggage facilities and alongside the starting areas. If you need to go during the race, well, you'll just have to run faster!"

    Is that a joke, or really the case? Every marathon I've done has had toilets on the route, it'd be weird if they expect all 50k runners to get around 42.2km without needing to go!
  • Eggyh73Eggyh73 ✭✭✭
    Rae2 - There are toilets on the route.

    In terms of toilets the biggest issue tends to be how few of them are in the starting pens for the number of people, so the portaloos always have large queues. Best to use any before entering the starting pen. Not as bad for blokes as they do have urinals, or as many past formites have done the use an empty sports drink bottle trick. 

    On that note, never pick up a full sports drink from the ground in the start pens!
  • Medical certificate signed off and only cost £5. Hopefully the rest of you's are lucky and not charged that much.

    What does everyone do for insurance? never really ran outside of Northern Ireland so looking recommendations for travel insurance and to cover the marathon too.
  • FRG2FRG2 ✭✭✭
    Last year there were portaloos along the way... that said, I popped into a friendly cafe around 32k, who didn't seem to mind. 
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