On Sunday, April 13, I completed my 47th full marathon, the 2025 Paris Marathon.
My training for this marathon wasn’t perfect. I was sidelined with a tendon injury that caused me to miss three important weeks of the training block. I was also “blessed” with a cold on race day, which didn’t help. Excuses, excuses!
I knew going into this race that my goal was to finish and I am proud of myself for doing just that. It was a slow marathon for me, though it was clear this was where my fitness was.
Dustin and I arrived in Paris from London on Friday evening via the Eurostar, checking into our hotel, the Saint James Paris. This hotel was lovely and perfectly situated within walking distance to the start and the finish of the marathon. I highly recommend it as a place to stay for the marathon.
On Saturday morning, we went for a three mile shake-out run in the Bois de Boulagne park, which was a nice place for a jog. Lots of other runners out there! This park is also mile 24-ish of the marathon course. It was nice to explore it a bit on a short run rather than at the end of 42 km!
After the shake-out, we had a great breakfast at the hotel and then took the metro to the expo. I had been told by friends who ran Paris in the past that the line to get into the expo was nearly two hours long, so Dustin and I expected the worst, and then were pleasantly surprised that there really wasn’t much of a wait at all. And we went on Saturday, which was one of the busiest days!
The Paris marathon 2025 actually set a world record as the largest marathon in terms of finishers with 53,000 runners. Huge! But the expo wasn’t actually that busy. We were able to pick up our bibs quickly and then wandered around the rest of the expo a bit.
We never actually found Paris marathon specific gear, so I didn’t buy anything except for a pair of “Kiprun” running shorts.
I never figured out why Dustin’s name had a heart by it, but not mine!
All participants received a running vest at the expo for water bottles; the marathon plans to eliminate paper cups in the future and encouraged all runners to carry their own bottles to fill out fountains along the course. I did not do this, but drank from the cups as I am accustomed to at marathons.
Information on the starting corrals; they were very spaced out!
It was a beautiful day in Paris after we wrapped up at the expo, so we hung out a bit near the Eiffel Tower to people watch before grabbing lunch and then relaxing at our hotel.
We had a pre-marathon dinner at Sorella, an Italian restaurant a few blocks from our hotel.
Dustin’s wave started at 8:15 and mine was at 8:34 (though I didn’t actually cross the starting line until 8:51). We both were up around 6 am for a breakfast of a bagel with peanut butter, some coffee and water, and then we walked to the start line. Just a 350m walk!
It was probably already 50F/11C at that time of day, so I didn’t need a gear check bag or any layers at the start. I had a long sleeve t-shirt on, but I quickly tossed it in the donation pile.
The walk from gear check to the actual starting corrals went down Champs-Elysees. Dustin and I split up for him to head to his corral and I got directly in line for a porta-potty in my corral. The line literally took 45 minutes so I was glad I was there when I was.
The starting line area was an energetic space with music and cheering. There was a lot of waiting around and I was mostly surrounded by non-English speakers, so no small talk to be had. Fine by me! I like to just save my energy by not talking at the start.
My corral was split up into several smaller groups that were set off every 5 minutes or so, so I actually didn’t cross the start until 8:51.
I was in a corral that was too fast for my fitness (I hadn’t planned to be a 4:30 marathoner when I signed up) so I was passed a lot in the start, but I just focused on my own effort and kept the pace at what felt like an easy effort at the time.
Mile 1: 9:35
Mile 2: 9:29
Mile 3: 9:34
Mile 4: 9:30
Mile 5: 9:41
Mile 6: 10:26 I think I stopped here for the bathroom; there were a fair number of portapottise on the way, as well as several aid stations that served water and snacks. Only a few of the aid stations served electrolytes, and the drink wasn’t very good, so if that’s something that’s important to you, I would recommend bringing your own.
Mile 7: 9:43
Mile 8: 10:28
Mile 9: 9:46
Mile 10: 9:59
Mile 11: 10:18
Mile 12: 9:27
Mile 13: 9:49
Mile 14: 9:40
Mile 15: 10:13
Mile 16: 9:56
Mile 17: 10:07
Mile 18: 10:29
There was a little pup near me that ran the whole marathon. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but it was a good distraction!
Mile 19: 11:38 I definitely was walking the aid stations and any hills; Paris is mostly flat, but there are some ups and downs in the second half. There was a tunnel with a ton of graffiti that was decorated to be like the show “the Last of Us.” If you’re familiar with the show, the cordyceps (or monsters) in the show make a distinct clicking sound, and that sound plus eerie music filled the tunnel. It was cool! After finished, I received an email from Strava about this segment; great advertising!
Mile 20: 10:21 I was focused on continuous forward motion, even if I had to walk at times.
Mile 21: 10:23 I think I took 5 gels throughout the race, which is kind of a lot for me, but I never felt nauseous or anything, so I guess it didn’t hurt me!
Mile 22: 10:36
Mile 23: 11:05
Mile 24: 11:14
Mile 25: 11:05
Mile 26: 10:08 <– I tried to finish “strong” with no walking!
Official finish time: 4:30:08
I thought I was going to be under 4:30, but honestly it didn’t matter. I ran the best race I had for the day based on my training. I’m happy I was able to participate. I hope this next one is better, but I can’t be too disappointed as this was exactly what I expected I could do.
I would recommend the Paris marathon as an alternative to the London marathon (for a spring marathon in Europe.) There’s no ballot, so as long as you register in time, you can get in. For a Londoner, it’s an easy one to travel to. My sister Erin also ran it, flying over from Chicago a few days prior to us. We all took the train on Monday to Reims (about 45 minutes from Paris) where we had arranged for a private driver to take us to various champagne houses in that area, which was a blast. (The only downside being that the minor cold I had going into the Paris marathon escalated into a major one; I lost my voice for the two days in Reims, which was a bit of a downer on the the with my sister, but I tried to power through and make the most of it.)
My ankle was quite sore after the race (Sunday) and into Monday morning, but we walked quite a bit throughout the time in Reims, which seemed to loosen it up. I plan to continue with a few more physio sessions to ensure I stay on top of the weaknesses that causes the injury. I’ll keep up with my exercises and more frequent sports massage as well, as I really don’t want to be derailed by injury again! I also hope to add in a bit more heavier strength training in addition to the reformer pilates that I do. I still feel that Pilates is great for core and glute strength and injury prevention, but as a woman over 40, I know how important heavier strength training is for optimal health.
FYI, my husband Dustin ran the marathon as well, his 48th! He ran a 3:10, but based on the difference in our starting times and how close our hotel was to the finish line, he was showered already by the time I finished!
We had a delicious celebratory meal after the marathon at Divellec; there’s a lot of good meals to be had in Paris! This one was recommended by my friend Jehan, (thanks Jehan!)
Cheers to another marathon experience completed!
That’s a wrap! I’m linking up with Running on the Fly and Confessions of a Mother Runner; check out their blogs to connect with other fitness bloggers for workout ideas and inspiration!
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