Paris Marathon 2000

Peter Furness and Kay Tarrant report on Paris in the Spring...

This year saw a record entry of 32,000 and it certainly seamed like that when I arrived in the Champs Elysees on Sunday morning. I had entered the race via the internet and the instructions sent to me stated that I would need to provide a medical certificate to be allowed to run. On arriving at registration at the exhibition I was asked to produce this and was only given a form to take to collect my number chip and goody bag after this had been checked. The exhibition is very similar to the one in London, though we were treated to entertainment in the shape of the adidas dancing team! The Pasta party on the Saturday evening proved very popular, my advice would be to get there early, by the time we got there they literally were feeding the 5000.

The overall organisation on race day was very good with the baggage storage areas and meeting points at the race finish well marked. There is only one race start so it takes some time for the whole field to leave the Champs Elysees and from there the race is very scenic as we go across the Place de la Concorde and the Rue de Rivoli and out to the Bois de Vincennes before turning back towards the city with a long run along the Seine until we got to the Bois de Boulogne and finally back onto Avenue Foch and the finish in sight of the Arc de Triomphe. The water stations are at every 5km so as you can imagine the first couple are quite hectic with all of the field trying to stop at once and with not only water available but enough food to have a picnic they are certainly popular.

Overall I found the race very good, the course is both fast, flat and interesting as it moves past famous landmarks and changes from city streets to parkland paths and it is also well supported as we were cheered all the way round. I was lucky to run the race in near perfect running conditions but I would recommend it to anyone who wants to run a different spring marathon to London and the medal you get for finishing is not bad too! (Peter Furness)

Kay Tarrant's report

I waited at the pre arranged spot to watch Peter run by at 3K. Twenty minutes before the first runners are due to pass by a one man band outside broadcasting unit arrives setting up adidas banners, loud hailer system and camera. Not content with that he went to a cafe to borrow a step ladder to obtain better photographs. I told him why I was waiting but neither of us spoke each others language. Having been nudged out of my spot I budged down the wall a bit. The lead car follows the Police motor bikes and the first runners come into view with the motorcycles carrying the TV cameramen, this is exciting.

Peter is due in ten minutes. Oh no, an American girl is bawling for her dad to my left and the guy up the ladder is bawling "bravo three kilometres", through the loud hailer to my right. Worse to come. Runners divert behind the wall I am standing on to spend a penny. I check my watch, Peter should be here in a minute, concentrate or I'll miss him. More guys are trying out the makeshift outdoor loo behind me. At last a hand is raised in the crowd and I aim my camera as Peter calls my name. I shout "Hi, see you later", and he is gone with the mass.

I was the first one there for viewing the runners at 27K at Quai des Tuileries. The procession began at about 10:30am, the Police bikes checking the way is clear, the lead car, the broadcasting bikes, followed by the wheelchair racers, roller skaters and the lead runners. I saw a dog running with its owner, a blind runner attached to a fellow runner, one armed runner, fun runners one of which was a waiter with a coffee on a tray. I waited at the pre arranged spot, the traffic exit tunnel which they all ran through. A supporter near me brought along a huge cow bell on a leather strap and rang it hard when the wheelchair racers struggled to get up the the exit ramp out of the tunnel. The bell was passed among his friends as it must have weighed a ton to ring. I mentioned it to Peter but he never heard it.

The people next to me encouraged everyone, especially if they were carrying a balloon or wearing a tutu. Peter spotted me and waived and my neighbours waived and cheered with me. Peter remembers that.