The Paris marathon takes place this Sunday, April 2 with around 45,000 runners expected in the capital.
The 2023 Paris Marathon is today! 42.195 km await the runners who all morning will try to finish the race, set a time or break a record. This will surely be the case for the elites who are desperate to pass the symbolic bar of 2 hours of racing. Only Eliud Kipchoge achieved this feat in an unofficial race, clocking 1:59:40. It was in Vienna in 2019. However, the Kenyan has never managed to set such a time in an official event. In Paris, for women, no one did better than 2:19 and for men 2:05.
For this 46th edition, the stage is made up of difficulties with two bumps. The first occurs around the 20th kilometer and the second near the scheduled finish at Porte Maillot. In all there will be 270m of positive elevation and 260 of negative elevation. The weather that obviously has to be taken into account in a race will be threatening. It is possible that the rain will invite itself during the event. The temperature will be milder with 8-10°C. For comparison, in 2022, the weather forecast was 4°C. The other difficulties of a marathon are also the repetition of the effort on the flat which can be prohibitive for those who have fragile joints.
The organization has also planned eight refreshments during which the runners can have their fill and regain their strength with, for example, bananas, gingerbread, sugar cubes and water. They will be positioned approximately every five kilometers. Toilets are also provided near the aid stations as well as bins where participants can throw their waste.
The 2023 edition will start from the avenue des Champs-Elysées. The runners will then head towards Place de la Concorde before reaching Place Vendôme. They will pass in front of the Opéra Garnier to reach the Opéra Bastille. At kilometer 7, all the participants will go towards the Bois de Vincennes which they will go around. The long straight line will remain, from Vincennes to Boulogne passing in front of the Gare de Lyon, Notre-Dame de Paris, the Eiffel Tower and Roland Garros. After a lively passage through the Bois de Boulogne, they will finally arrive at Porte Dauphine where the finish line is.
Bibs for the Paris Marathon can be picked up at the Parc des Expositions, hall 2.2 at Porte de Versailles on Thursday March 30 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday March 31 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday April 1 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
There are several starts in the Paris marathon. They are divided into several categories defined according to an estimated race time.
The 2023 Paris Marathon will be broadcast from the first hour on the antennas of Eurosport 1 and France 3. The broadcast will be accessible live from 7:45 a.m. You can also follow the race on the internet with france.tv.
The marathon being a long race is accessible to all. It is therefore quite possible to come and encourage the runners.
For women, Judith Jeptum holds the Paris marathon record with a time of 2h19’48”. For men, Frenchman Morhad Amdouni holds the French marathon record with a time of 2h5 ’22”.
The media spoke of a possible cancellation concerning the Paris marathon 2023 which will be maintained. France is facing social movements. Many French people are protesting against the pension reform that the government wants to apply at all costs.