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Paris Int'l Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Paris Int'l Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.6 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 191 [displaying comments 111 to 121]
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B. W. from Hawaii
(4/22/2007)
"Enjoyed race thoroughly" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Bathrooms: definitely not enough at the start. For the guys, they had public urinals set up with partitions; the women weren't so lucky. The race I didn't think was terribly hot, but I came from Hawaii. Guess it depends where you're traveling from? Water: I finished just under 6 hours, and I found water at every stop. They had bottles of water, which was nice because you could ration your water beyond the water stop. The course you really can't complain. Champs Elysee, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame... the course was so scenic and beautiful. Got plenty of pictures on the course. The bands were energetic; not enough of them though. Course support was ok. Make sure you can finish the race in the time allotted. My mom and I both did it. By the time she got to mile 16 or so, they were packing up the course and she couldn't finish the race. Mile markers gone, water stations broken down... greatly disappointing. Speaking of mile markers and timers, wear a watch. Lot of the race is in kilometers instead of miles, as well. Good to know for training. Timers, not so much. There was one point I didn't see a timer for about 6 miles. Also, the pacer bands they give you at the expo only go up to 5 hours. If you're gonna finish longer than that, you might want to bring one you might have from another race. After the race you of course want something to eat, but it seemed every booth I looked at people were smoking to the side of their booth, or some were smoking right in the booth next to the food they were serving. No thank you. Overall, thoroughly enjoyed the race and would do it again in a heartbeat. | |
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H. W. from Hong Kong
(4/20/2007)
"Oh yes, it's Paris all right." (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This marathon is one you'll want to have done - it's reasonably fast and it's Paris, so there are plenty of nice sights if you want to take it easy and enjoy. The course is very flat but has some bottlenecks, including a few tight turns and plenty of narrow roads with dividers in the middle appearing out of nowhere. Not necessarily a PR course, but nevertheless a fast one overall. There were a number of road-rage type runners in this race around the pace balloons (I ran with the 3:30 pacers, and there were a number of hooligans with them who will push and throw elbows in order to stay with the rabbits), which made the crowded situation even worse as a number of guys seemed to spend emotional energy getting angry at each other. My advice is to follow the balloons at a distance and to use the sidewalks in the park rather than the roads. Pretty course and was pretty well-organized, including not only spontaneous crowd support but also a large number of rock and jazz bands spread out throughout the course. I did not spot any sports drinks or gels along the course, but water comes in plastic bottles (handy if you like to hydrate at your own pace like I do) and lots of solid food (fruits), some of which ends up splattered around the water stations so be careful. Bib pick-up is at an obvious stop on the Metro (even if it's a bit far from city center); not a very English-friendly environment there but easy enough if you avoid the Saturday crowds. Overall, recommended with few reservations. | |
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C. S. from London, UK
(4/19/2007)
"Must-do marathon for beginners and seasoned alike" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I really don't understand all the complaints about water and toilets! There were not very many toilets in the starting corrals, but more than plenty on the Avenue Foch where you dropped your bag off, I think this was more than sufficient. I'm a slow runner, finishing in just under 5 hours, and was still able to find water at every single water station. It was only at about 40KM that they had nearly run out, but I still managed to find some! The course is stunning and primarily flat. Crowd support was great when it was there, although it was a little sparse in some areas. This seemed more a consequence of the long sections spent in out-of-city-center parks, rather than a lack of interest. The bands lining the route were great; they really made me laugh and kept me going. Miles and kilometer markers made it easy to track pace, whichever country you're from! As with any huge race, there were bottlenecks and people dodging, especially around the water stations, but that's inevitable. We found buckets of water and/or hose stations about every 3KM or so, which was just enough to keep cool. This seemed incredibly well organized, given the very late notice of the unseasonable, impending heat wave. Overall, a fantastic experience for a first marathon; I hope to return in the future! | |
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A. H. from Dublin, Ireland
(4/18/2007)
"Stunning course; poor organization in parts." (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 A few comments on the 2007 marathon: (i) The course was absolutely stunning; (ii) the organisation was generally good - I thought the expo and pasta party were well organized (although I went early to both). The Saturday breakfast run was good too. However the organizers let themselves down badly on race-day: many runners in the 4-hour+ category didn't get water until 20 or 25K into the race as the water stations up to those points had run out, which isn't acceptable, particularly given the 23/24C temperatures. Unfortunately I saw more than a few runners vent their frustrations on blameless volunteers staffing the water stations. The finish area was a bit of an organizational mess, with barriers needlessly put up around the place; (iii) the crowds along the route (although patchy in a few places) were enthusiastic and supportive; (iv) it's clear that the organizers are pitching the event as being in the same league as London, Berlin, New York, etc.; however, given the shambles with the water, which is utterly fundamental to the race, I'm not sure that this is the case; and (v) would I do it again? Absolutely. AH | |
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F. P. from USA
(4/17/2007)
"EXCELLENT EUROPEAN MARATHON" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I love this marathon because: * The course was flat and fast. * The crowd was excellent even, though they are few at a times. * The roads were good. There were a few cobblestone roads, but they were tolerable. * The tourist sites along the way were awesome. * I would do it again when I get a chance. * The weather was kind of warm, but still very good. * Overall, it was a very exciting experience. I would recommend this run to every runner. | |
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D. W. from Naples, Italy
(4/15/2007)
"Running Out of Water - Inexcusable on a Hot Day" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Just finished Paris - 2007. Toilet situation prior to race - unbelievable. One - yes, you read correctly - one toilet in each time corral. So, think about a marathon this large - how many people are in a corral? I got in line 35 minutes prior to race start and was not even close to the toilet when my corral began. The wave start went well. The course - beautiful. It was a hot day - predicted to be 81 degrees F prior to the race and it reached it. The course organizers knew this - prior to the start they announced, "It will be hot. It is important to drink plenty of water." I run a 4:30 pace. The water stops are every 5K - no extra put on in anticipation of the hot weather. There was water for me at the 5K mark, then - unbelievably - NO WATER UNTIL THE 20K MARK!! They had run out. I had friends running in the 5-hour range - they had no water at all until 20k. Lucky for me, I ran into a friend who had money - we had to go to a snack shop and purchase water!! What do marathon runners need? Water is one of the basics!!! It was 81 degrees today - too hot for people running in the back of the pack not to have any water for the first half! The medal situation seems to have improved - they placed a yellow mark on my bib when they issued the medal. Apparently this kept people from getting more than one. Overall: beautiful course, but organization still needs work. | |
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Bryan Lee from Sussex, United Kingdom
(8/25/2006)
"A stunning course." (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 My fourth marathon and my favorite to date - quite something when comparing it to London and New York. I may be somewhat biased (being someone who is totally in love with Paris) but I really cannot imagine a more stunning start and a more beautiful course (provided you forget the underpasses along the right bank of the Seine). The opportunity to run down the Champs Elysee with the Arc de Triomphe behind you is one not to be missed. Okay, so there may not be as many toilets as you'll find in other big-city marathons but what's Avenue Foche for if not for the ubiquitous half a dozen pre-race pees? And if the crowds don't match up to New York or London for size, so what? Do we want all our big-city marathons to be identical replicas of each other? The race is certainly quirky but it's also jammed full of Gallic charm and peculiarities. The opportunity to eat and drink your way 'round was certainly a new one for me. Try it. | |
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Edi Rose from Charleston, South Carolina
(5/9/2006)
"Awesome view, no medals, smoking volunteers" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Beautiful course, expo very organized, lots of volunteers and music along the way. Medals at the end?? "We ran out," and they were fine with that level of poor planning. I received one email saying they were planning to reproduce and send them in the mail, but have heard nothing else. | |
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Michael Smith from Shanghai, China
(5/8/2006)
"Great Course, So-So Organization" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Paris Int'l Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This was my 2nd Paris Marathon, and all in all I would say it was on par with last year - while they fixed some problems, they seem to have spawned a whole new crop. The toilets might seem few and far between, but there was a lot more than in 2005. The aid stations were better stocked. Even the t-shirt improved dramatically. I got my medal, but was shocked to find out others didn't. Possibly they went to bandits like the four other runners who ran with my number (I found this out on Mandru Photo's website when I searched on my bib number). They should give you a medal in exchange for your chip, perhaps. The pens after the run were even worse than last year. All you want to do is get something to eat or drink, but it takes forever to fight your way to the tables. The biggest frustration, though, is that Paris is not where you're going to run a PR, or even close to it, if you're honest about reporting your times. Others are correct in pointing out that you can put whatever time you want on the sign-up forms. I was in the 3:30 pen with people I know for a fact couldn't break 4 hours on a scooter. And it's not just the starting line - I found myself up on sidewalks, bottled up, dodging and weaving until Republic, about 8 KM into the race. By that point I was already 4 minutes off pace or about 30 seconds per KM. That's a lot of time to try to make up in the latter stages of a long race. Crowds - If you want great crowd support, go to Berlin; Parisians don't seem to be as enthused. The scenery is great for the most part, though the stretch next to the Seine is not that wonderful; up top would be better (although I do understand we can't have the whole city to ourselves). This year Paris registration closed in late October, if I recall correctly. Run it once in your life, but set your reminder for September. Unless they go to a lottery or qualification system, it will probably close even more quickly this year. | |
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Charles Rheault from Brisbane, Australia
(4/30/2006)
"Good, not Great" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Paris Int'l Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Running down the Champs Elysee cannot be beat and the expo was well set-up. The couse is flat and covers Paris well; however, the spectators were in the way a lot and the drink stops were not organized very well (Berlin has it all over Paris in these two regards). The music was poor but welcomed. The sense of adventure was missing for me but well worth the run nonetheless. |
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