Paris Marathon 2024 – All You Need to Know
Right Around the Corner
If you are staying at Apartments du Louvre this Sunday, April 7 th 2024, you will be right in the middle of one of the most stunningly beautiful urban races in the world – the Paris Marathon (officially called the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon). You can expect to see around 50,000 runners from 145 countries and perhaps be part of the 200,000 spectators who will participate in the exciting event. Whether you are a fan of running or not, it’s an incredible sight to see all these enthusiastic athletes in one place – and what a place! We’ll give you some tips on how to enjoy this marvelous happening.
Let’s Start from the Beginning
The marathon begins and ends at the Arc of Triomphe. (The official starting point is on the Champs-Elysees). Due to the staggering number of participants, the departure times are spread over three and a half hours, from 8:00 – 11:30 AM. Seasoned competitors finish in just
over two hours while the less-experienced runners take between 4-5 hours to make it to the end of the race at Avenue Foch. The Paris Marathon gives runners and crowds alike a chance to rediscover the capital as it crosses the city and highlights many of its iconic landmarks, including the Louvre, Notre Dame, Bastille, and the Eiffel Tower, just to name a few. You can find the exact route and lots of other useful information on the official website
For our guests at Apartments du Louvre, the best (and closest) place to watch this energetic show would be at Place de la Concorde. Get up early on Sunday, April 7 th , grab a coffee and find a spot that lets you see the Champs-Elysees and the Arc of Triomphe in the background. The runners will circle the Place de la Concorde – this is where the Mile 1 marker
is located. (It is also where Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were guillotined but that’s another story). You can join in the athletes’ excitement as they sweep down Rue de Rivoli past the Tuileries Gardens and the Louvre on their way to the Bastille. They will then head to the Bois de Vincennes and circle back into Paris center on their way to the Bois de Boulogne. Another amazing place to catch a glimpse of the marathoners would be the UNESCO landmark site, “Parc Rives de Seine” (Seine Riverbanks) – a runner’s paradise, open to foot traffic only. On the left bank, it runs from Pont d’Alma to Pont Royal and on the right bank,
near Apartments du Louvre, it stretches from Pont Neuf to the Pont du Sully – a total of 7 kilometers of monumental city scenery. All along the way, there will be plenty of refreshments stalls, music and a general friendly, street festival ambiance. If you happen to have a friend or
family member who is running in the Paris Marathon, you can track them in real time with the Schneider Electric app – and get to cheer them on by shouting “Allez Allez!”
Running on Vacation
If you are looking for places to run all by yourself during your holiday stay here in Paris, the Marathon route (and runners) should inspire you. The Seine riverbanks are always a good choice and are very close to the Apartments du Louvre. Other possibilities for your personal
jogging challenges would be the wide, majestic avenues of the Jardin des Tuileries between the Louvre Rivoli and Concorde metro stations. So, whether you participate in, watch, or run before or after the official Paris marathon, it’s good to remember the encouraging runner’s slogan,
“PAIN is just French for bread.” Allez, allez.