France Events and Festivals

4/01/2009 - 4/30/2009Paris Marathon

The annual Paris Marathon begins at the top of the Champs Elysees and finishes at the bottom of Avenue Foch. It is in the form of an elongated lap on the Right Bank of the River Seine and takes in such familiar addresses as Place de la Concorde, Rue Rivoli, Place de la Bastille and Avenue de Versilles. Although not an annual event until more recently, the first marathon race through the French capital took place in 1896. The early races were relatively low key affairs whereas today's marathons attract huge crowds not to mention 35,000 runners who have to set off in colour-coded groups to avoid clogging up the route. For two and a half days around the marathon, the Porte de Versailles showgrounds put on a free exhibition and fair, with all kinds of sportswear on sale and demonstrations of sports equipment. A pasta party for runners is also held here on the Saturday afternoon before the race.