PARIS MARATHON 2014

HI, I am thinking about taking part in my 1st marathon and doing the Paris 2014 one to raise money for a colleague at work that has been paralysed in a cycling accident.  I have seen an e-mail from Sports Tours International offering a Hotel and Race Entry for this which looks good but booking the hotel direct looks much cheaper.

My problem is that I have never done this Race before or been to Paris either and I understand that you need to take a Medical Certificate to the Expo in order to get your race number.  This sounds like it could be complicated!

Can anyone who has done this race before give me an advice on how easy it is to get your race number and get to the Expo etc or let me know if I would be better going with the organised option Sports Tours.

I would be grateful for any comments on this!

Thanks

Lesley

«1

Comments

  • Not done the race but it is pretty easy getting round Paris ?

    As to the Medical certificate - how much is a DIY stamp ? You can ask your Doc - some may do it for free - or else you might have to pay. Or just forge it - how much is a DIY stamper ?
  • ATMATM ✭✭✭

    Lesley, there will be a whole bunch of us doing Paris, again, and you might find the 2013 thread,http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/events/paris-marathon-2013/203790.html  helpful. And long.  If you message me through the forum, I'll send you a bit of a summary. image

  • We ( me & OH) did Paris this year and had a great time

    organised it all ourselves, rented an apartment as some of our kids joined us,  

    the expo was really wel organised 

    even got cheap flights from Air France as they are a sponsor 

    yep you do need the medical cert, ask your GP or make up a stamp, they didn't really examine it very hard... 

  • Thanks to you all for your comments, my decision is made then I will book direct.  I have had a look at the hotels available and a lot of them are nearly full already.  For those that have been before, do you normally book when you have got your place guaranteed?

    Have you got any hotels that you can recommend?

    As said previously I am training for the GNR at the moment when would you normally start your training for the marathon if it was your first time?  I will need lots of prep!!image

  • We used "Owners direct" website and booked an apartment in Les Halles for 5 nights, but it had 3 double rooms and was brilliant 

    we booked it around November I think 

  • Mr PuffyMr Puffy ✭✭✭

    We stayed in hotel royal Magda Etoile just off the champs élysées, it was brilliant for the start and finish. it is a typical Paris hotel ie small rooms and a bit pricey but the staff look after the runners. Also, if you fly into CDG there is an air France coach that stops almost outside from the airport terminal.

    Paris is the best start of any race anywhere, lining up on the champs élysées in the morning sunshine, with the arc de triomphe behind you while they play chariots of fire, so to be able to step out of the hotel straight into that atmosphere was worth paying a little more for. 

  • Mr puffy

    thanks for the info, no one had told me about th start thats great.

    Dave the ex spartan

    i will check that out cheersimage

    How long have you guys being running for? Have you got any tips for a marathon virgin?

  • If you look at the website there is loads of info on the start and finish, with decent maps of the route showing all you need to plan where to stay.

    Marathon Virgin.. Errr  Been a while for me ,  Find a decent training programme and stick to it, Even if it means setting the alarm clock for 5am in February so you canget out and do the miles before work

  • Oh and look at doing the Breakfast Run on the Saturday, that was a bit of a laugh 

  • Mr PuffyMr Puffy ✭✭✭
    sorry lesley didnt see this..like atm said above kook on the paris thread they are the nicesf bunch you coild hope to meet b

    nd you will find a cross section if runners frim all levels
  • I did Paris in April and would recommend it. It's a nice flat course through the heart of Paris. There is great crowd support - at one point there was a fire engine with the ladder extended over the road and firemen sat on it shouting down encouraging us. There are plenty of refreshments along the way too.

    The medical certificate I was really worried about and making sure my doctor put word for word what they wanted. But in all honesty they barely read it, just made sure the name matched. So as long as you have one you'll be fine - its just to make sure you are fit and healthy.

    We booked an apartment through Air BnB and it was £40 each for 2 nights. I would also recommend the Metro app for your phone as this made getting to the Expo and start line really easy and tells you how long it will take.

    Best of luck image

  • At one point there was a fire engine.... Sort of sums it up...

    the crowd was great in the centre of Paris. But at each end of the course it was pretty patchy. No comparison with London .. Still enjoyed it tho 

  • Dave - dont knock the fire brigade, wow the sight of a load of firemen would have brightened my day and keep me running for miles if they were in front of me!image

    Lucy- thanks for the info and the Metro App tip I will remember that!

  • Half a dozen firemen sat on a ladder is hardly the greatest motivation.   

  • cougie wrote (see)
    Not done the race but it is pretty easy getting round Paris ?
    As to the Medical certificate - how much is a DIY stamp ? You can ask your Doc - some may do it for free - or else you might have to pay. Or just forge it - how much is a DIY stamper ?

     

    For the sake of £25 (at most) for a certificate from a GP you'd have to be an idiot to forge it and risk invalidating your insurance. You'll probably be fine but why risk it?

  • I am toying with this on the assumption that I don't get in to London. Is that even worth considering? Or will this be full by the time I get my inevitable London rejection.

  • 2wheels - thanksimage I will definitely be getting the correct certificate as after all the training there no way I will risk missing out on doing this 1st marathon.

  • Mr PuffyMr Puffy ✭✭✭
    The price goes up as each entry threshold fills, if you leave it till you know about London youll be paying quite lot more.
  • I am not in the ballot for London and dont want to take a charity place as I want to raise money for a work colleague who got paralysed recently.  Come the 1st Sept my Paris application will be in.

    Thanks for the heads up thoimage

  • 2wheels wrote (see)
    cougie wrote (see)
    Not done the race but it is pretty easy getting round Paris ?
    As to the Medical certificate - how much is a DIY stamp ? You can ask your Doc - some may do it for free - or else you might have to pay. Or just forge it - how much is a DIY stamper ?

     

    For the sake of £25 (at most) for a certificate from a GP you'd have to be an idiot to forge it and risk invalidating your insurance. You'll probably be fine but why risk it?

    Some GP's were asking for 75 quid last year ? And invalidating what insurance ! 

    Dont think Paris filled up til Christmas last year, but the fee was a lot more than we paid in October 

  • Dave The Ex- Spartan wrote (see)
    2wheels wrote (see)
    cougie wrote (see)
    Not done the race but it is pretty easy getting round Paris ?
    As to the Medical certificate - how much is a DIY stamp ? You can ask your Doc - some may do it for free - or else you might have to pay. Or just forge it - how much is a DIY stamper ?

     

    For the sake of £25 (at most) for a certificate from a GP you'd have to be an idiot to forge it and risk invalidating your insurance. You'll probably be fine but why risk it?

    Some GP's were asking for 75 quid last year ? And invalidating what insurance ! 

    Dont think Paris filled up til Christmas last year, but the fee was a lot more than we paid in October 

    If your GP charges £75 then they need to be challenged because I am pretty sure their are statutory charges in place for something like that.

    As for insurance, if you break your leg, or have a heart attack (for example) while running the marathon do you really think that your travel insurance will want to know if they get wind you were running on a forged doctors certificate?

  • The GP can charge what ever they wish,

    and very few travel insurances will cover you running a marathon anyway 

    and you don't need any sort of certificate to do any race in the UK, you are missing the point, the French federation insist on a medical cert so you can't sue them if you keel over 

  • Oh and as you are in France what travel insurance would you take out ?  Just use your E111

    have a look at the certificate they want you to have signed, it's on the Paris marathon website, I know of 2 doctors who refuse to sign it, as it would open them up if anything did happen.

  • Agree with DTES that doctors can charge what they want - but some will do it for free if you're running for charity. Worth asking. The form doesn't give you any insurance cover - it's a state requirement for sporting events in France, so it's to protect the organisers.

    But disagree about the travel insurance - many standard policies will cover 'normal' marathon running, as long as it's not off road or you're doing it professionally. Always worth checking with the insurer. And the EHIC only entitles you to whatever medical treatment the locals are entitled to. Which, in France, will be pretty good, but it wouldn't cover anything like relatives coming out to see you, or being air ambulanced back home. Plus, it wouldn't cover non-medical stuff like baggage loss or cancellation.

  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭

    Hi Leslie. Come over to the Paris thread and make yourself at home image you'll get information (sometimes too muchimage) and ideas/ support. There is a hotel list banging around of where people stayed this and previous years so you can be sorted.

    the group going over are a lovely bunch. There's dinner on Saturday, sometimes someone to run with during the race and then drinks afterwards! Doesn't get much better!

    my dr. Did my certificate for free and was happy enough to sign me off.

  • Mr PuffyMr Puffy ✭✭✭
    Oh yeah, the drinks, start saving up now. In 2009 a pint was ??4.60 after the race image
  • I'm still paying my doctor for my certificate......,    

    You're only going to Paris RR, not sure we even bothered with travel insurance for it 

  • I'm very keen on travel insurance, after a bad experience with a burnt out clutch on the motorway outside Nice. And I'm very cautious. It's nice here, under the bed, and I'm not coming out image.

  • Shouldn't that be car insurance ? 

Sign In or Register to comment.