| Paris Marathon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | April |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Event type | Road |
| World Athletics Cat. | Elite Label |
| Distance | Marathon |
| Primary sponsor | Schneider |
| Established | 1976 (50 years ago) (1976) (current era) |
| Course records | Men's:2:04:21 (2021) Elisha RotichWomen's:2:19:48 (2022) Judith Korir |
| Official site | Paris Marathon |
| Participants | 53,899 (2024) 50,780 (2023) |
TheParis Marathon (French:Marathon de Paris) is an annualmarathon hosted by the city ofParis, France. It is the largest running event in France in terms of finishers[1] and is typically among the five largest marathons in the world.[2]
The marathon begins along theChamps-Élysées, runs southeast through the city to theBois de Vincennes, heads back through the city along the RiverSeine, and finishes onAvenue Foch.
The first Paris Marathon, the Tour de Paris Marathon, took place in 1896. A big crowd gathered to watch 191 participants. It was run over a course of 40 km (25 mi) from Paris toConflans-Sainte-Honorine viaVersailles, and the organisers decided to award a commemorative medal to all runners who finished the race in less than 4 hours.
The distance of 40 km was chosen as it was the distance separatingMarathon fromAthens. The current distance of the race is 42.195 km, which the IAAF established in 1921 as the standard length of a marathon, following the1908 Olympic race in London.
This first race was won byLen Hurst from England who crossed the finishing line in 2 hours, 31 minutes and 30 seconds. His prize money was 200francs.
Some sources, including theAssociation of Road Racing Statisticians, considerFrenchwomanMarie-Louise Ledru as the first female to race the now-defined marathon distance of 42.195 km, as she set a time of 5 hours and 40 minutes during the 1918 edition of the Tour de Paris, while other sources, including theInternational Association of Athletics Federations, creditsViolet Piercy as the first to do so.[3][4][5][6][7]
The present Paris Marathon dates from 1976. It is normally held on a Sunday in April and is limited to 50,000 runners. It is organised by theAmaury Sport Organisation. It is notable for the attractive route through the heart of the city of Paris.
Unlike most other marathons, but like all races in France, the Paris Marathon has required a doctor's note no more than a year old, stating that there is "no contraindication to competitive running". However, since the 2025 edition, organisers have instead allowed competitors to complete an online self-certification instead.[8]
In 2024, the Paris Marathon had 53,899 finishers. This set a new world record for the largest marathon in the world - exceeding the previous record at the 2019 New York City Marathon. The record was short-lived, though, as the 2024 Berlin Marathon exceeded that number with 54,154 finishers six months later in September.[9]
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Course map of full marathon in 2019[10] |
The race starts on the Avenue desChamps-Élysées going downhill to circle round thePlace de la Concorde before turning right ontoRue de Rivoli. The route passes theLouvre, then goes round thePlace de la Bastille, and down Boulevard Soult to theBois de Vincennes. A long loop of the Bois de Vincennes returns the route into the heart of Paris. The halfway point is reached at Rue de Charenton. The route now follows the course of theSeine, passingÎle de la Cité and going under thePont Neuf, then a series of tunnels. There is a large drinks station and foot massage site atTrocadéro, opposite theEiffel Tower. The route continues along the Seine, before branching off east to eventually pass throughBois de Boulogne, emerging for the final 200 metres and the finish on theAvenue Foch.
The race was held on April 13, 2025.Benard Biwott won the men's race with a time of 2:05:25.Bedatu Hirpa won the women's race with a time of 2:20:45.[11]
The race was held on April 7, 2024.Mulugeta Uma won the men's event with a time of 2:05:33.Mestawot Fikir won the women's race in 2:20:45.[12]
The race was held on April 2, 2023. Abeje Ayana won the men's event in his first marathon with a time of 2:07:15.[13]Helah Kiprop overcame a 1 minute + deficit to win the women's race in 2:23:19[14]
The 2021 edition of the race was postponed to17 October 2021 due to the pandemic, before registration opened.[15][16]
The 2020 edition of the race was originally postponed due to thecoronavirus pandemic, rescheduled for the autumn on 15 November 2020,[17][18] before being cancelled in August.[19] Registrants were given the option of transferring their entry to 2021, obtaining a voucher of equivalent value, or obtaining a refund after 18 months.[20]
The race took place on Sunday, April 14, 2019. Abraha Milaw took the men's title in 2 h 07 min 05 sec, a personal best. He preventedPaul Lonyangata, who finished in third place, from claiming a third successive title.Gelete Burka took the women's title with a time of 2 h 22 min 47 sec, leading home an all Ethiopian podium.[21]
The race was run on April 8, 2018.Paul Lonyangata became the first men's runner in 28 years to claim back-to-back Paris marathon titles after he successfully defended his crown in a time of 2 h 06 min 25 sec. Kenya retained the women's title too, asBetsy Saina raced to victory in 2 h 22 min 56 sec, just three seconds ahead of countrywoman and silver medalist,Ruth Chepngetich.[22]
The race was run on April 9, 2017. The top male finisher was KenyanPaul Lonyangata in a time of 2 h 06 min 10 sec. The top female finisher was KenyanPurity Rionoripoe with a time of 2 h 20 min 55 sec. 42483 participants started the race, 41736 finished it.
On April 3, 2016, the men's race was won byCyprian Kotut, who stopped the clock at 2:07:11 for his first marathon win. The top four finishers in the men's race were Kenyan. In the women's race,Visiline Jepkesho, again from Kenya, came home first in 2:25:53.[23]
The race was run on April 12, 2015. The top male finisher was KenyanMark Korir in a time of 2 h 05 min 48 sec. The top female finisher was Ethiopian's Meseret Mengistu with a time of 2 h 23 min 26 sec.
The race was run on April 6, 2014. The top male finisher, EthiopianKenenisa Bekele, broke the course record with a debut time of 2 h 05 min 04 sec. Bekele's winning time is the sixth-fastest debut in history on a record eligible course, and it was also the fastest ever debut by someone older than 30. The top female finisher was Kenya'sFlomena Cheyech, finishing in a time of 2 h 22 min 44 sec.
The race was run on April 6, 2008. The top male finisher, EthiopianTsegaye Kebede, just missed the course record with a time of 2 h 06 min 40 sec. The top female finisher was Kenya'sMartha Komu finishing in a time of 2 h 25 min 33 sec. Her partner, FrenchmanSimon Munyutu, qualified for this year's Olympics with a time of 2 h 09 min 24 sec. The handisport race was won was by Mexico'sSaul Mendoza in a time of 1 h 32 min 27 sec over France'sDenis Lemeunier andHeinz Frei of Switzerland. 29,706 competitors started the race.
The race was run on April 15, 2007. The top male finisher wasShami Mubarak from Qatar in a time of 2:07:19 narrowly beating Frenchman Paul Astin who was trained by the legendary "Mursalese" (despite his short stature, Mursalese was a renowned long-distance runner having broken the Bangladeshi marathon record in 1993). The top female finisher was Tafa Magarsa from Ethiopia in a time of 2:25:08. Handisport race was won byKurt Fearnley in 1:30:45. A runner who also ran in London's British 10K that year. 28,261 competitors started the race.
The race was run on April 9, 2006. The top male finisher was Gashaw Melese from Ethiopia in a time of 2:08:03. The top female finisher wasIrina Timofeyeva from Russia in a time of 2:27:02.She also ran later in the British 10K. South AfricanErnst Van Dyck won the Handisport race in 1:33:58.
The 29th Paris Marathon was run on 10 April 2005. The top male finisher was Kenyan runnerSalim Kipsang with a time of 2h08'02, followed in by fellow KenyanPaul Biwott 13 seconds later. The top female finisher wasLydiya Grigoryeva in 2h27'00.Ernst Van Dyck won the Handisport race in a time of 1h23’17.
The top male finisher was newcomer EthiopianAmbesse Tolossa in a time of 2:08:56. This was the Ethiopian's 9th ever marathon and he beat the race favourite - Kenya'sRaymond Kipkoech who came in at 2:10:08. The fastest female was Kenyan runner Salina Kosgei (also a newcomer on the event) in 2:24:32, ahead of EthiopianAsha Gigi and France's Corrine Raux. Switzerland'sHeinz Frei won the wheelchair event in 1h37'43. 30,430 competitors started the race.
The top male finisher was KenyanMike Rotich with a time of 2:06:33, setting a new record for this event. Coming in second, France'sBenoît Zwierzchiewski equalled the existing European record, at 2:06:33. The fastest female was Kenyan runnerBéatrice Omwanza in 2:27:41, ahead of Italy's Rosaria Console.
France'sJoel Jeannot won the wheelchair event.
Key:
| Country | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 15 | 11 | 26 |
 France | 10 | 5 | 15 |
 Ethiopia | 9 | 6 | 15 |
 United Kingdom | 4 | 3 | 7 |
 Portugal | 3 | 1 | 4 |
 Japan | 0 | 4 | 4 |
 Russia | 0 | 4 | 4 |
 Hungary | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Djibouti | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 United States | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Belgium | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Romania | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Qatar | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Poland | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Australia | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Morocco | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 New Zealand | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Spain | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Year | Men's winner | Nationality | Time[a] | Women's winner | Nationality | Time[a] | Rf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | Albert Charbonnel | France | no women's race held | [24] | |||
| 1902 | Albert Charbonnel | France | [24] | ||||
| 1900 | Len Hurst | United Kingdom | 2:26:28[nb 1] | [24] | |||
| 1899 | Albert Charbonnel | France | [24] | ||||
| 1896 | Len Hurst | United Kingdom | 2:31:30 | ||||
