April in Paris

April 2, 2023

Five years ago today I ran the Paris marathon.

In many ways, I still see April day as the culmination of my time living in Paris. Since I trained for the entire marathon while living there, it felt like a (very long) run through my backyard- a sweaty love letter to the city I now called home.

Running the Paris Marathon

I wake up in our small apartment in the 15th arrondissement, wash my face, chug some Gatorade (which feels like a victory in and of itself, after having to hop a few neighborhoods over before finding a shop still selling sugary imported sports drinks the night before), plug in my headphones, then hop on Line 6 at Montparnasse-Bienvenue, watching the sunrise beyond the iconic Tower in a moment that felt like Gustave Eiffel had surely orchestrated just for me in his 1889 design.

If you’ve seen videos of influencers admiring the Eiffel Tower from the Paris metro then you know Line 6. Part of the line runs above ground, connecting the 15th and 16th arrondissements over the Seine, hurling you past a truly magnificent waterfront view of the Lady Eiffel. It is also the line that ended at Charles de Gaulle–Étoile by the Arc de Triomphe along the Champs-Élysées. The famous shopping boulevard doubles as the race’s starting line- wide enough to form runner corrals and iconic enough to make every participant feel like they got their money’s worth well before the start gun sounds.

Energy is high as runners swarm the streets. The Paris marathon is the second largest in the world, following New York, and while people travel from all over the world to run it, you could spot the French (or in my case, French residing) participants by the beads of perspiration already beginning to form on their pasty skin. When Ella and Louis sang about April in Paris, they almost nailed it, just leaving out the part about the very fickle weather. Generally I am not complaining, April in Paris is beautiful- whether it feels like winter or spring- and you will share it with almost every Parisian, as the whole city flocks to parks and public spaces in full appreciation of every gorgeous day the month allows. 

Today is one of those beautiful, shockingly spring days (great news for my cheering squad, which included a friend visiting from the states). The problem for those of us who had trained for the marathon IN Paris was that it was almost 20 degrees warmer than what we had last run in. It had been a particularly cold winter, and I had completed my final long run less than 2 weeks earlier while it was spitting snow.

My legs move me from the start line, through Place de la Concorde, and along Rue de Rivoli, still in utter shock to be adorning shorts rather than fleece lined leggings- I am sweating profusely by mile 2. The race route changes a bit each year, but participants generally spend large portions of the 26.2 miles running through the city center past iconic landmarks along the Right Bank, with stretches in Paris’s two largest parks on either side of the city, Bois de Vincennes and Bois de Bologne.

Paris marathon runners ferris wheel
The Paris marathon isn’t just one of the biggest in the world, it also offers some of the most iconic views.

Leading up to the race, I really enjoyed telling my French colleagues that I was training for the marathon and seeing their varying reactions. Many were impressed or intrigued and some wanted to hear how I structured my training routes in the busy city. My long runs over the last 7 months led me to discover many pockets of Paris less frequented by visitors, so these conversations gave me an opportunity to prove that when I said I loved living in Paris, I was talking about more than the Louvre or Le Marais. Others thought I was crazy (l’entraînement est foo!) or just lame for limiting my wine and cocktail intake on a Friday night out together for fear of feeling it during next morning’s run.

I found out after the marathon that my most committed office mate decided the night before she wanted to cheer me on, but waiting on the side of the route sounded boring. She found a seat on the terrace of a cafe along the Bois de Vincennes, ordered breakfast, and cheered when the tracker on her iPad notified her that I’d run past her street, all with a coffee in hand. I found this equally hilarious and sweet. 

I was also kind of relieved that she hadn’t been directly on the side lines for that stretch of the race, as I hit a low point. This is a packed race, and coming around a curve in the route within the Vincennes forest, someone tried to cut through the crowd and ended up taking me out. My side and back get a little scratched up, but mostly I am just shaken and disappointed that my finish goal time no longer feels attainable. First aid in France is NO JOKE (picture multiple volunteers vying to strap me to a stretcher), but eventually I convince them of my ability to keep running and set back off.

I am hot. I am disappointed. I am not even halfway there.

Oh, and by the way, 26.2 miles is 42 in kilometers and I am kicking myself for not training in kms because marathons are a mental game and that just makes the whole damn thing feel longer.

But then someone says my name: Allez, Emma! On y va! Actually, a lot of people are saying my name, and I don’t know any of them. The race bibs include your name and country, but up to that point in the race, I’d mostly heard French spectators cheering for countries (Go USA! Allez, Monsieur Sweden!), but my name is pretty common in French too, and they are using it to cheer me on. “They” being an entire crowd of Parisians. 

And just like that, my heart bursts.

Maybe it’s the heat stroke I am inevitably running myself into. Maybe it’s the residual adrenaline from the wipeout. But I think it’s mostly the fact that all year, despite trying really hard to understand and respect the cultural differences that can lead to Parisians being labeled as cold or unfriendly, I am still very American in my need for warmth and affirmation. And here, in a crowded race of delirium, I’d found some. These Parisians were cheering for ME!! 

So I’d like to end this story by saying I find superhuman strength to make up for my lost time and run the race like a champ. I don’t. In fact, my final race time is a whole hour longer than my original goal time that I trained so long and hard for. But boy do I have fun!

At mile 14 I stop and take in the crowd of runners from around the world, filling the Parc Rives de Seine that I have been so incredibly lucky to run along almost every day this past year.  At mile 18 I stop and take pictures with friends while running past the Eiffel Tower. I high five every kid extending their hand, I thank every volunteer that hands me water, and I make my way to the finish line smiling. How could I do otherwise with this many Parisian strangers cheering for me on this beautiful April day?

The Best Summer Activities in Charleston, SC

The Best Summer Activities in Charleston, SC

There are so many ways to fill a perfect summer day in Charleston- even those of us who live here have a hard time fitting it all in! This list is a compilation of some popular local pastimes and favorite summer treats, all perfect ways to fill out that travel...

March in Paris

March in Paris

March- the month in Paris where some days feel like spring and others forecast snow. One of the best parts of this ambivalent weather is the fact that Parisians end up unsure of what each day’s appropriate head attire should be, thus upping my odds of a few non-ironic...

February in Paris

February in Paris

I love February in Paris, and it has nothing to do with the allegedly love-filled holiday that occurs half way through it. February is the month I decided Paris was home. Paris feels quiet in January, but tinged with a lackluster air of recovery. The holidays have...

January in Paris

January in Paris

It feels a little funny to start here, as January is the one month of the year I *might* try to dissuade you from booking a ticket to Paris. It's just so grey. Seriously, the January I lived in Paris I saw the sun a grand total of 3 times in January. No, I'm not...

A Paris Cafe for Every Type of Traveler

A Paris Cafe for Every Type of Traveler

“Bonjour. Un café, s’il vous plaît.” If there is a single phrase that a tourist in Paris should make sure to store in even the most jetlagged of brains, this just might be it. Coffee. Café. Espresso. Noisette. Café Crème. The French take their coffee breaks quite...

24 Hours in Sorrento, Italy

24 Hours in Sorrento, Italy

Perched on the cliffs along the Bay of Naples, Sorrento is a coastal town overlooking sparkling waters dotted by the islands of Ischia, Capri and Mt. Vesuvius. For many, Sorrento is seen as the gateway to Amalfi, and may just be a quick transfer along the way to...

A Guide to Rome’s Trastevere Neighborhood

A Guide to Rome’s Trastevere Neighborhood

Trastevere is my absolute favorite Roman neighborhood - full of winding cobblestone streets dripping with ivy, local trattorias, and some of the coolest bars the city has to offer. This historically working class neighborhood still holds on to its roots, with a...

How to Eat Like a Local in Italy by Region

How to Eat Like a Local in Italy by Region

Italians are incredibly proud of their local gastronomy- and rightfully so! Those of us coming to visit are generally ready to devour every pizza, pasta and tiramisu in sight. However, if you are a tourist looking to eat and live like the locals, you need to know what...

6 Places to Visit in Rome with Beautiful City Views

6 Places to Visit in Rome with Beautiful City Views

Watch the sun rise or set over the Eternal City from any of these five gorgeous locations and you will soon understand why people are still saying "Rome wasn't built in a day" - its huge! Terrazza Piazza Garibaldi The focus of this terraced piazza is the Giuseppe...