Marathon de Paris 2018

One reason Kelly likes coming to Paris in the winter is so he is here for the Paris Marathon in the spring.  It gives him a reason to keep running in Paris during the winter when he'd rather stay warm in our apartment.  This winter was especially challenging because of the Seine flooding.  Kelly likes to run along the quai by the river that was closed a couple of years ago to car traffic.  It is a smooth surface and has no tourists or street lights to dodge and hold him up.

Flooded Quai in January

We had been watching the weather closely for two weeks.  Kelly was hoping for 50s and cloudy.  For a while it looked like there might be rain.  But when the day came, it was sunny and in the low 70s.  A little warm but at least the rain held off until the next day.
Our neighbors Mike and Sande Krieger and Nathan and Karen Morgan came to Paris to run the marathon with Kelly.  They made a pact to all stay together.  Nathan had a torn meniscus and had not been able to train much over the winter.  This was to be his last marathon and they wanted to complete it together, no matter what.

Marathon Route Map

Karen, Sande, Kate and I walked over to Hôtel de Ville to meet the guys for the first time between mile 2 and 3.  This year Sande had a marathon app and could track their progress on her phone.  It was a huge help.  Kelly also picked up a map of the course at the expo that showed the metro stops along the way.  Between the map and the app, we were set!


Stopping to admire Nôtre Dame
on our way to Hôtel de Ville

Winding through the small streets on
 Île de la Cité

We found a spot on rue de Rivoli across from the BHV Department Store and waited, watching the app and getting confused between miles and kilometers.

Waiting on rue de Rivoli for our runners

The guys soon arrived with a Smurf running close behind.  They were all smiles since they weren't even at mile 3 yet.

Kelly with Nathan and a Smurf behind him

Happy Mike

Just hitting their stride

We sent the guys on their way and walked to Bagelstein on Île Saint Louis.  Kelly wanted a bagel when we met him at the next stop.  He and Kate went to the Bagelstein the night before and were assured that the shop would be open the next morning at 10 am.  They also encountered something very French.  They asked how much for just a plain bagel.  The worker told them that they do not sell a bagel plain.  They do not sell a half dozen or a dozen plain bagels.  They only sell bagels singly and with something on them, such as cream cheese, or as a sandwich.  Kelly told Kate no worries, just buy one with cream cheese and scrape it off after.

Kelly at Bagelstein

Unfortunately, when we arrived at Bagelstein at 10:30 am, it was closed up tight.  We decided Kelly would just have to eat a croissant or baguette.  We went home to regroup and sort out our supplies and headed over to the east of the Bastille toward Mile 13--the halfway point.  You can just barely see the column at the Bastille in the background of the picture below.


Walking to Mile 13

According to Sande's app, the guys were slowing down a bit.  It was warm and Nathan's knee was not doing so well.  They were glad to see us at this stop with more food and drink.  Nathan especially liked all the oranges at the aid stations.  Kelly said Nathan would linger at the station, eating many orange slices.  He thought they tasted heavenly.

Waiting for our runners

Kate helping Kelly with food and drink

Aid Station with Oranges and Bananas

Orange and Banana Boxes Stacked
up for Nathan

This was the last place we had planned to meet the runners.  But Kate was worried.  The guys had slowed significantly and she thought we had better meet them one more time.  We consulted the marathon map and made some calculations with Sande's app and decided we could meet them near Mile 20.  We walked towards the Bastille to take the métro and stumbled on a bagel shop.  And they did not make you put something on your bagel!  We grabbed a couple of bagels and some sodas for our runners.

Passing the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty
on our way to Mile 20

We saw runners wearing some fun costumes and there was a band at this stop to entertain us.

Runner in a tutu

Rock Band

We were glad we decided to meet the runners one more time before they entered the last stretch of the marathon in the Bois de Boulogne.  They were surprised and happy to see us.  I didn't get a picture of Nathan.  He didn't dare stop but had to keep moving ahead as Karen walked beside him.

Kelly downs a Coke and some bagel

Mike and Kelly

Kelly, Mike and Nathan kept together the entire race and crossed the finish line simultaneously.  The marathon was long and grueling and hot but they stayed together and finished strong.  This marathon was not about their finish time, but about accomplishing their goal together.  They are truly dear friends.