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Paris and Medoc Marathon Entry For Dummies
Can someone give me an easy answer about when to enter the Paris and Medoc marathons for 2014? I have a feeling that Paris registration usually opens in late September and Medoc registration in March, but is it generally easy to get a place or do they have a ballot system like VLM?
(I have done Medoc before but it was through a tour company so didn't have to worry about entering by a certain date)
Merci! 
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From memory, Paris entry is easy-peasy if you get in early, i.e. it's first come, first served, but does fill up, especially by the time people find out whether they've got a London ballot place. So just keep an eye on it and enter asap. Paris is great. (My marathon PB course... for another six and a half weeks.
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Thanks Phil! I'll keep a sharp eye on their website from September onwards
I really want to do Paris, London doesn't appeal to me (maybe cos its my home town and I run all the pretty bits of the route fairly often anyway) but Paris would be magic.
Are you doing Paris again this year or a different spring marathon?
London for me this year. I run some of the not so pretty bits very often, but they're much more fun with thousands of people screaming at you.
I've done it once but also missed out three times due to injury, so I've got a serious score to settle.
Paris is lacking decent toilet facitlities at the start but other than that it's great. Starts on the Champs Elysees, lots of lovely wide, flat, long boulevards, and you get the Eiffel Tower to look at instead of Billingsgate Market.
I lived in London for 6 yrs so I've seen most of that before.
Medoc fills up quickly, but isn't (or hasn't been yet) a ballot.
I think in the past you've been able to register on their website then get notification of when it opens.
I'd get in quick though, I tried to enter another popular French race recently, it filled up in less than seven hours
Thanks everyone! Phil - fingers crossed for a new PB for you. Show London who's boss!
Millsy - one of the reasons I want to do Paris as my spring marathon is for the mini-break opportunity for the non-runners coming with me. I think they deserve a nice race to spectate at after coming along to various cold, rainy x-country and trail racess in the backend of nowhere
Wilkie - I'll be quick with Medoc too. I remember one of the guys on my trip there in 2009 saying that he only went through 2:09 because seperate allocations for French, European and non-European entrants and he'd missed out on the non-European places. Not sure how true that is though - I know that it is a very popular race anyway!
This year was a shambles for entry for Paris. Their site was down for an hour and noone was sure if they were actually in or not! Phil's right though - first come, first served for cheaper entries. It's currently at 50,000 and I *think* places are still available for this year.
I just kept an eye on the Medoc website for entry details. You can 'friend' them on Facebook and they'll tell you when entries are available online. It only sold out in a few months last year. I loved Medoc and would love to do it again if I could. I've heard 2014 is going to be a great event as it's the 30th anniversary.
As of April - i'll have done both so happy to pass along best practices/ideas.
Xine - Ta! Paris is also incredibly spectator-friendly. Apart from the fact it's PARIS, virtually the whole route runs along one or other of the Metro lines, so it's very easy to get about and see runners at multiple points.
...And did I mention Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower? Oof!
I've spectated at Paris before: depending on how fast you run, your supporters can wave you off at the start line and get the metro to St Paul in time to see you run past, then wander up the road to Bastille and wait for you to come back the other way, before zooming back to catch you at the finish line.
Emmy, thanks so much! I'll definitely take you up on that offer and probably pester you with lots of questions when it comes time to register. I was last in Medoc for the 25th anniversay race, so I got the Finisher's caraffe as well as the standard medal and bottle of wine, I'd love to add another one to my collection (especially as my mum has been using it as a vase!)
Great tips there, thank you! Sounds like my supporters will have time to pop into a bakery to buy me some finisher's macaroons too
That photo!!! What a great shot
Paris to Versailles is another good race for famous landmarks, only 10 miles but it starts at Eiffel Tower and finishes a few hundred meters away from the gates of Versailles. Highly recommend that one for a running minibreak