Schneider Electric marathon de Paris

More than 50,000 runners line up for the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris, a 42.195 km road marathon through the French capital every April. The modern race has run annually since 1976 and brings together amateurs, club runners, charity runners, corporate teams, and professionals on the same course. It is France’s biggest running event by finishers, and at its largest it ranks with New York as one of the world’s biggest marathons. It also carries World Athletics’ Elite label, the top label level for international road races. The course starts on the Champs-Elysees with an early downhill, then sends runners past Place de la Concorde, Opera Garnier, Bastille, and the Bois de Vincennes before returning toward central Paris along the Seine. Later sections pass Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, and the Bois de Boulogne before the finish at Porte Dauphine. The route mixes wide boulevards, river roads, and wooded stretches, with pacemakers and aid stations every 5 km. Paris marathon history goes back to a small modern restart with only 126 runners, and the older 1896 race began at Porte Maillot with Len Hurst beating 190 competitors.