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Keep on running

Take part in the Paris Marathon and see the capital city’s most famous sites at top speed. Ben Lerwill provides a running commentary...

The Champs-Élysées wears its charms well on clear April mornings; horsechestnuts trees in bloom, cafés full of life, sunshine flowing down onto the Arc de Triomphe. It’s all very Parisian and all very svernal, a combination that means it doesn’t really qualify as much of a travel secret. Even so, the old avenue rarely sees crowds like this. The place is heaving with people – around 37,000 of us, if you’re counting – and there’s barely enough room to stretch out your arms, let alone swagger along à la Jean-Paul Belmondo. Clouds of Deep Heat spray waft above the famous cobbles. It is approaching 9am, and it is marathon day.

There’s scarcely a capital city on the planet without a marathon these days, but the timeless destinational pull of Paris means its race is one of the most heavily subscribed. It is a global event, as evidenced by the gabble of different languages in the starting pens. As well as the thousands of domestic runners, there are Spaniards, Japanese, Americans, Brazilians, Greeks, Australians and a lycra-clad cornucopia of other nationalities. The world is here in its trainers. Naturally, there are busloads of British. We’re the ones with white legs saying “sorry” when other runners push in front of us.

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