The start of the 39th edition of the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris was given at 08:45 local time under sunny skies. A record-breaking 41,342 athletes left the start line of ‘the most popular sports event in France’. To put this into perspective, there were 40,783 participants in 2014 and 39,967 in 2013.
Just before the start of the elite field, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, stepped onto the podium on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to say a few words. “Way to go, everyone. Paris is yours. It is the most beautiful city in the world, and you make it even more beautiful,” she said.
Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris director Édouard Cassignol added “Never before have there been so many of you at the start. 18,000 of you came from abroad to share in this celebration. Enjoy the smiles of the 3,000 volunteers who will be at your side every step of the race.”
150 nationalities were present on the start line. The average age remained stable at 41, but the percentage of women continues to grow and now stands at 25% (versus 21% in 2014).
The Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris is not just about visiting the French capital’s landmarks, but also about the plethora of shows and activities lining the streets. Hundreds of amateur musicians of all genres roused the competitors, showing why Paris has some of ‘the best beats of any marathon in the world.’
Together with groups of fans and Parisians coming out to enjoy the show — thronging the pavements to energise the athletes — the organisers cite ‘no fewer than 250,000 spectators turned out to cheer on the biggest field in France.’
Runners who are already itching to sign up for the 2016 Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris and make sure they get a place for the 40th edition will be able to do so when the first wave of the registration process opens on Wednesday 15 April 15, at 08:00 CET.
Registration will be processed via the ASO Challenges platform at the early bird rate, with a second wave launched in September at the standard rates if there are still places left.
Next up in the ASO running calendar, the 10 km L’Équipe will see 20,000 athletes of all levels racing in the heart of Paris on 14 June.
Meanwhile, Run In Lyon (4 October) and new event Run In Reims (11 October) will continue and close the Run In trilogy, which began on 15 March with Run In Marseille. The idea behind these events, which feature a 10 km race, a half marathon and a marathon, is to combine a great sporting event with the heritage of a city.
The 40th edition of the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon will take place on 3 April 2015.
www.asochallenges.com
www.schneiderelectricparismarathon.com
