Paris Marathon 2019

1171819202123»

Comments

  • So, hands up who's entered for 2020?
  • OuchOuchOuchOuch ✭✭✭
    Dom - Not entered yet but very very tempted.  I've posted this on the sub 3 thread and thought it might bring back some happy recent memories for us all. 

    Paris Marathon        14th April 2019                                   Time: 2.48.17 / 416th  Wava 86.2

    I’ve long coveted the Paris marathon.  Training had gone well with my first 350m+ month in March and the hope was for a sub 250 time.  

    We arrived late on Saturday - thanks Gillets Jaunes!! Pretty frantic as we dashed across Paris for my younger sons Paris marathon fun run around the Eiffel Tower which was great, got to the expo, had a good walk around central Paris and then had to find my older son who got lost on his way to his hotel!   A nice bistro a few glasses of wine and in bed at 11.30 to be awoken at 3.42 am!   A few weird hours in the hotel lobby and joined 50,000 others on a very chilly Champs Elysee with the Arc de Triomphe behind us for the start at 8.27.   I felt very lucky to be here.  

    BANG, the elites and c800 other / corporate runners disappeared up the road from their wave start to leave an empty Champs de Elysee.  BANG, my wave were off and couldn’t resist an empty Champs Elysee so I and a small group legged and led the wave through the historic centre with mile 1 coming up in 5.41 - opps!

    It steadied into 6.15 minute miles and from mile 2 started passing runners from the earlier wave, spending the first half of the race running around groups of slower runners and off the race-line but in time thankfully this wave thinned. Crowd support was good (not a patch on London), there was plenty of music bands on the course and conditions were good, a gentle breeze, dry and sunny but key it was cool/ cold.  Found a good rhythm, just knocking off the 5 k markers - decided my race would be 8*5 km chunks – in a surprisingly consistent 19.26, 19.30, 19.55, 19.40 and half way in 1.22.48.

    As it was cold, I took 4 SIS gels as thought my body would burn up more energy trying to stay warm, taking them at 10m, 15m, 20m and 23m. 

    I felt really comfortable and loved running this course and through the city.  The next 10 k passed the Bastille along the Seine, seeing Notre Damm, the Eiffel Tower on the opposite bank with there being a few underpasses – which were pleasantly warming as I was getting cold.

    (25k, 19.43   30K,  20.21   35K   20.34     40K  20.20)

    I like to lock-in time, as when you do hit a bad patch or the breathing gets a bit tight, you can ease off and recover, so took the section from 30-40 K a bit easier as knew a 2.48 or 2.49 time  was on if I kept focused and positive so kept a decent pace and running down target runners ahead.  What was odd was in places  you shared the course with Sunday runners, scooter riders, cyclists and some cyclists filming their sons running the race – quite surprised to see this on such a major city marathon.  Also surprised at this point to see two sets of identical twins, who featured in the pre-race publicity, both walking to the finish at around the 32 and 35 k mark.

    40K came  @ 2.39.20 in the Bois de Boulogne Park which I found to a really calming end to a marathon without thousands of over-excited screaming spectators, a slight hinderance being plenty of cobbles to run over.  I felt good so sped up a touch.  The finishing line came into view with the Arc behind it, an amzing and welcome sight, and crossed in 2.48.17.

    This report sounds like my race was composed and planned, and it was to a point, but on the day and in the moment, as we all know it’s nothing like that, it was tough and you are always aware that problems or an injury could be 100 metres up the road.  Really pleased with the race gets a 9/10.


  • Eggyh73Eggyh73 ✭✭✭
    OuchOuch - Fantastic race report. Absolutely phenomenal time!
  • baldstanbaldstan ✭✭✭
    Yes, thank you OuchOuch, great to hear what it's like at the pointy end of the race and how you thought about times and gels during the run. Being a bit further back it was even harder to follow the racing line, and it didn't get any better even in the last few kilometres through the Bois de Boulogne. Weaving from side to side and having to take the bends wide must account for the extra 400 metres my Garmin said I ran.
    Dom Norrish, I was tempted to enter again, but I think I'm going to try my luck with Boston first. If I don't make the cut off for Boston there should still be places left for Paris. Just in case I do get into Boston though, I've decided to save some money and have made Abingdon my autumn marathon.
    Good luck to everyone who's running London.
  • OrbuttOrbutt ✭✭✭
    Dom.
    Paris 2020?
    It would be rude not to 😁
    The Orbutts are coming
  • Kirsten BKirsten B ✭✭✭
    Gosh, not been here for an awfully long time but it feels familiar!  Is there a 2020 thread....
  • phronesisphronesis ✭✭✭
    I am considering running La Rochelle Marathon on 24 November 2019. Anyone tried it? Interested?
  • I do not know who is eligible to participate
  • Emma 23Emma 23 ✭✭
    Good luck in Paris everybody
  • > @Eggyh73 said:
    > Fantastic, it sounds like most had a great race.
    >
    > Whoever is was enquiring about Stockholm, I ran it in 2015. Until last weekend it was my PB race. It's a wonderful city to spend a few days exploring. The course is pretty flat with a few small bumps on it, similar in that regard to Paris. It wasn't a crowded course the year I ran. It's busy, but far less so than a race like Paris. It did pour down biblical style the year I ran. I was fine until I crossed the finish line and stopped running, at which point I couldn't stop shivering and thought I might come down with hypothermia!
    >

    I've just entered Stockholm 2020 which is this weekend next year. I thought of looking into others, but it sounds good, and I've long wanted to go to Sweden. So I decided to make an early decision and stick with it. Hopefully the experience of Paris this year (my first marathon) will mean my training and race will be free of the mistakes I made first time.
Sign In or Register to comment.