Paris Marathon 2010

40,000 runners. A beautiful city. A beautiful day.

Our 8:30am start was a lot more civilized than the 5:30am start that we suffered in Singapore. Slightly less civilized was the decision by the race organizers to order one port-a-potty per 10,000 racers. Half an hour after the official start of the race, I was finally on my way.

At that point, the start shoot was a war zone. To manage the long wait in the cold before the start, the race organizers had issued each runner a plastic bag to act as a windbreaker. At the sound of the gun, the racers peeled these off and tossed them to the ground, covering the ground with plastic booby traps. I saw no less than three people trip on these bags as they ran for the start line. Rough way to begin a 42km stroll.

The bonus challenges continued through the race, with banana stations strategically placed on patches of cobblestone (danger!). Nevertheless, historic landmarks were everywhere along the course, ensuring there was always something spectacularly beautiful to see. It really is a lovely course.

In the end, Claire crushed the course, rocking a 4:05:25 time. I painfully hammered out a 4:34:38; faster than Edinburgh (barely), but slower than Singapore, and a long way off of my goal. Not a single blister and no chaffing, just fatigue on the day. I will probably do another marathon at some point in time, but I will wait a bit longer for my body to recover and time it for when I am willing to commit to a proper training regime.

Meantime, I'm quite proud to be the only one in my class that did both the Singapore and Paris marathons during the program. It was nice to have something to keep me active during a time when there are things pulling me in so many directions away from an active lifestyle.