Canadian Running goes behind-the-scenes at the Paris Marathon
See some of Canadian Running's best photos and moments from the Paris Marathon as we were on location at this weekend's event in the French capital.
One of the world’s largest races took place on Sunday morning and Canadian Running was live on location running alongside more than 40,000 runners at the Paris Marathon. It’s considered one of the three most popular marathons in Europe, along with Berlin and London, and attracts runners from around the world.
It was a record-breaking year for the event in the French capital as 43,317 runners took part in the 40th edition of the race. There were participants from 160 countries including Canada.
A record-breaking 43,317 people from 160 countries took part in the 40th #ParisMarathon in #Paris! @parismarathon pic.twitter.com/F1w4sNlnQC
— Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) April 3, 2016
As is the case with most big-city marathons, the race expo was massive. The Paris Marathon also had all the features of French cuisine and landmarks including champagne at the expo, chocolate bread at the finish line and stunning views of the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Élysées.
The finish stretch features cobblestone roads, a notable feature of many streets in Paris.
Interestingly, runners must present a doctor’s note at the race expo in order to receive their bib and be eligible to begin the race. According to the event website, the doctor’s note must mention that runners have “no contra-indication to athletics in competition” or “no contra-indication to running in competition.”
Event organizers also made certain safety precautions in the lead-up to the race to ensure the well-being of runners.
The Paris Marathon “considerably strengthened” security for the event, according to Radio France Internationale, following the Brussels bombings that took place on March 22 and November’s Paris attacks. Increased security included more guards, extensive bag searches and staff being equipped with metal detectors.
Check out a few photos of the event and some footage from the elite field below:
The day before the race, the Paris Marathon held a fun run for competitors to shake out their legs. The weather cooperated quite nicely.
Weather for race day was just as nice as it was during the pre-event shakeout
Not a bad view of the city’s most iconic landmarks
A view of the race expo at the Paris Marathon, complete with a floor track and some of running’s biggest brands
Kenyans, not surprisingly, swept both the men’s and women’s titles at Sunday morning’s race with wins by Cyprian Kotut (2:07:11) and Visiline Jepkesho (2:25:52). Footage can be found below:
Women’s race finish
Men’s race finish
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