Paris marathon - 5 April 2009

911sc

As i may fly back to Dublin right after finishing the Paris Marathon, and as i am not staying in hotel on the Saturday night (hence can't access shower!), i was wondering about showers facility at the finish line.
Well, looks like there is none, but there is a public swimming pool about 1/2mile from finish at 32, boulevard Lannes - Paris 16.
So, for approx €2.60, you can have a shower and a swim if you have from energy left.

If you have any other practical tip, this is the thread...

911sc

At registration time, you had to give an expected race time which is used to give you access to the right starting "box" (don't know how it's called).

FYI, the time, hence your starting point, can be amended the day you collect your race pack.

hunnymonster

911sc wrote: »

..."box"...

probably best translated as "pen", although saying "section" might make it sound less like herding sheep :-)

911sc

Nice service provided by GDF SUEZ. You can register 2 mobile numbers to which your 10km, 21km and 30km timing will be sent in real time. And it's free.

Who is going to Paris next week?

Woddle

Yep I'm going and then heading to eurodisney with the kids on the Monday, flying out Friday, can't wait

shels4ever

911sc wrote: »

Nice service provided by GDF SUEZ. You can register 2 mobile numbers to which your 10km, 21km and 30km timing will be sent in real time. And it's free.

Who is going to Paris next week?

Thats a nice idea , wont be long till were all gps tagged and everyone iwll be tracking all our splits during races....

ecoli

Hey Guys and Girls
I just said i would get this in before everyone begins to head over. Just want to wish everyone who heading over the best of luck and do yourselves proud looking forward to hearing how everyone gets on

Frogette

ecoli wrote: »

Hey Guys and Girls
I just said i would get this in before everyone begins to head over. Just want to wish everyone who heading over the best of luck and do yourselves proud looking forward to hearing how everyone gets on

good luck for paris. Heading to nashville april for half marathon myself . what is the norm for tipping in hotels bars ect.

Magnet

I`m going to do Paris!!
After my connemara Ultra last week I was dreading it but I`m back into it again
Im going to pace my 2 friends to a 3.30 marathon but if they opt out ill just blast off and see where I end up. I did 3.23 in Dublin but after the Ultra miles I`m happy to enjoy the sites.
Also spending all day Monday at EuroDisney!!!
Anyone think its gonna be warm? 10 degrees?
Some of the cheer leaders just got 2 huge Leprechaun hats so we`d spot them in the crowd!! I might wear one too! (Im pacing after all!:cool:)

chatoon

Hi lads,
I too am heading over to do the Paris Marathon - I'm getting really nervous about it now!! Anyway, I wish all those doing it the very best of luck - you'll all be crossing that finish line before me - I'm just hoping to come in before the 5h 40 deadline!!! Enjoy it and bonne chance!!!:)

911sc

shels4ever wrote: »

wont be long till were all gps tagged and everyone iwll be tracking all our splits during races....

well, it is happening on the 05th April
There are running a live test with 300 runners. They will be fitted with GPS and data will be send real time. €30 for the service. First Come, First serve basis at registration time

RacoonQueen

Best of luck to all heading over to do this, I'll be thinking of you all, especiallly magnet :eek: , while I'm taking it easy in the Great Ireland Run after last weeks Ultra.

Hard Worker

A suggestion: If any of you want to meet up on the Sunday night to celebrate, leave your mobile number or name at the Dublin Marathon stand at the expo. We can arrange an Irish night.

MarieC

Hi guys I'm heading over for Paris also. A little nervous to be honest as haven't trained as much as hoped but fingers crossed the day is still enjoyable, thats my main priority. Planning on heading to Euro Disney also on the Monday so may see a few more awkward walking people there too!

will keep an eye on this thread for updates!

Giddee up!!

911sc

I am flying on Friday evening Ryanair flight FR26 at 8pm if somebody wants to say 'Bonjour'. PM to exchange mobiles. Cheers

the_viper2kie

Hi guys,

I'm also heading over, like Marie training not as good as I had planned-work got in the way a bit!
I'm going to aim for a 3hr 45min race-if anyone else is thinking to do around the same as that and wants a partner to run the race let me know by pm and we can run together. After Dublin I realised how much easier it is when you have someone to chat away to.
Headed over on Sat morning first thing aer lingus from Dublin and back on Monday evening. There will be no Euro Disney though-I'm hoping the race will be more than enough of a rollercoaster for one weekend.

911sc

What's your target?

911sc
Last marathon (Dublin) 3h57min
Target Paris 3h52min (inner voice 3h45)

Hard Worker

Met Woddle and 911sc here in Paris. Two absolute gentlemen. I'm sure they will be logging on soon with their updates.

Woddle

Hard Worker wrote: »

Met Woddle and 911sc here in Paris. Two absolute gentlemen. I'm sure they will be logging on soon with their updates.

Ditto

I had a horrid time of it today, the wrong side of 4 hours :eek: I won't say anymore on it till I digest the performance myself, except that the crowd was amazing, the french certainly know how to cheer you on.

RacoonQueen

Woddle wrote: »

Ditto

I had a horrid time of it today, the wrong side of 4 hours :eek: I won't say anymore on it till I digest the performance myself, except that the crowd was amazing, the french certainly know how to cheer you on.

Hard luck Woddle, was watching out for you on the live results. Still a great time mind.

911sc

The trip to Paris was worth it as i met Hard Worker and Woddle. Great guys.

Like Woddle, I am on the wrong side of 4h with 4h09min on my watch I found it hard, was ok until km26, but then struggled. The temperate was warm enough approx 13-15degrees, but Paris is a stuffy place and air is quite dry i think. Drunk like a fish!

Well, will try to do better for the next one which will be Dublin. I am now going to focus on duathlon/triathlon for the summer.

My short review of the Paris Marathon

* Accessing the luggage area in the morning was a challenge in itself. The compound was only accessible from a 5meter wide opening in the fence. There was no in/out lanes, so runners who wanted to get in blocked the way to runners who wanted to get out! It was not moving. But once in, the handling of the bags was efficient.

*The starting pens were well marshalled and good. I was at the front of 3h45min pen, and it took close to 6min to cross starting line. I only started to run pass the line.

*The course was jammers start to finish. I found it hard to be able to run in a straight line, constantly swerving. Too crowded to my liking.

* As Woddle says, the crowd support was great. Loads of supporters all the way. The nice touch is that your name was printed under the race number, hence people were shouting 'Allez, John' for instance.

* The course is marked every km but also every mile, which is very good.

* Water stations (every 5km) had 50cl water bottles, oranges, bananas. I did not see any gels, and powerade pouch were all gone by the time i passes.

* At km36, red wine was handled, and cider at 38km. I was expecting Marlboro at 40km!!!

* The finish was very congested. I don't think i crossed the finish line running, but rather walking as there was simply no space! Then it took 20min to get to where my bag was. Again, luggage handling was quick. And then, same mess as in the morning to get out of runners area as exit was blocked by people waiting for 'their hero'.
I got out of compound, went to the grass area on the side of avenue Foch to change. I think they could have had a big marquee to change as there were loads of marquees, but they seemt to be used for 'private' functions.

* I was expected a better goody bag. Beside a shower gel and a tiny bar, it contained enough paper to fill your green bin!

* I was also expecting a finisher T-shirt. Nope, no t-shirt.


Will i do it again?
As much as i am really looking forward to the next Dublin marathon which i have ran twice, I can not say the same about Paris. And before anybody says anything about defending Irish interest, i am originally from Paris!
I have never really liked 'large crowds' and Paris is surely a large marathon. Still deversed to be ran though..but more for a week-end away rather than a PB.

HardyEustace

911,
I found the same about Paris. Having done Berlin last year I'd recommend it a hundred times over before Paris (apart from the expo which was bedlam and very stressful).

Paris was very congested and I have to say that while a few mentioned the support I really didn't think it was that great at all. I felt really lonely for a lot of the race. I was going at about 4:15 (ish) finishing pace until about 30k when the wheels not so much fell off as blew out and rolled down the mountain top so I wasn't that far behind you. However I really thought that there wasn't a massive amount of spectators and when there was there wasn't a huge amount of cheering and encouragement.

We actually came to a complete stop at the first water station and were literally at a walking pace for about four minutes. The water stations were just lethal due to banana and orange skins and I almost came a cropper a few times, the goodie bag was rubbish. I also didn't like the fact that you'd to spend the last few kilometers running through a park where there were no spectators to cheer you on and encourage you for the last few kilometers when you are just dead on your feet.

Then when you finished there was no where to hang out and "enjoy" the atmosphere. I thought if they'd finished it in the park it would've been far nicer as you could've sat down, had a rest and a drink and chatted with people.

I wouldn't recommend it to people.

911sc

One other thing coming up to mind...
As the finish line was in sight, so was the digital clock above the line. The clock indicated "3:55:55". I could not believe it. Even with all my struggle along the way, i was about to do a wee bit better than Dublin 2008!
But as i was running towards the finish, eyes riveted onto that clock, i realised that it was not counting anymore.. The clock was frozen at "3:55:55".


(note: i ran with my forerunner405 but never looked at it, so i had no idea of time. The only clock i saw was at km20)

dermCu

I can fully understand why people don’t enjoy the large crowds but on the other hand if you want to run in or around 3 hours this really is the place to do it.

The sheer number of people running fast here is phenomenal. It really drags you along. I don’t think Paris gets the credit it deserves for that.

I ran 2:55 in Paris about 3 or 4 years ago and finished outside the top 1000 :eek:

I cant understand why its considered to be a 'B' class marathon. I guess it’s just down to cold hard cash. Maybe this year’s result will change that.

--amadeus--

I ran it in 2006 and the announced that more people (numerically rather than % of field) went sub 3 in Paris than in any other marathon in the world. On teh face of it they have it all - flat course, pacers, good aid stations but I wondered how on earth they managed it with the congestion.

When I ran it I was in teh 4 hour+ pen and it was a 'mare for overcrowding (though not as bad as this year by all accounts), I'm assuming they segregate quite tightly and congestion isn't such an issue for the 2:30 - 3:15 runners?

911sc

--amadeus-- wrote: »

I'm assuming they segregate quite tightly and congestion isn't such an issue for the 2:30 - 3:15 runners?

Yes, that's quite true. My friend ran it in 3h15, took him 20sec to cross starting line, was able to run 3/4 of course beside 3h pace maker, had no complaint about overcrowding.

3h45-4h groups are the bulk of the runners...and the road was very congested.

Hard Worker

The pacemakers in Paris were unbelieveable. There seemed to be three official pacemakers with each time bracket. The first 3 hour pacemaker crossed the finish line in 2.59.59. The second one was about 15 seconds behind ( probably allowing for chip time ) and the third was about 30 seconds further back ( probably trying to keep as much of the group together ). It was the same for the 3.15 pacemaker, who crossed the line in 3.14.59 with the other two pacemakers within a minute.

Magnet

Thanks for the reports good and bad - I love reading them..
As reported I did 3.22
I slipped into the 3.15 pen and stuck with the Pacers very comfortably til 30k then had to take a toilet break for 5 mins so settled for beating my 3.23 in Dublin...
After the ultra miles I didn`t know how I`d be so it was good to see the improvement in pace. And I didnt have much problem coming down the steps of the Eiffel tower the day after!!
Now the Pacers "hares" were a highlight for me cos they were spot on all the way - a great race, the crowd were just fantastic, saw a runner doin a no.2 in the tunnel :eek: and although I got elbowed in the shoulder the runners did try to avoid each other as much as possible and as someone else said you do get into the same pace as everyone around you like a club run and keep up!!
Next stop Belfast - Do they do pacers?

Woddle

Congrats Magnet, thats great running from you over the last few weeks and Belfast aswell :eek: