The Paris Marathon is preparing to welcome a record number of participants.
Record Number of Runners Expected
This year’s marathon is expected to have 60,000 runners. They will start in waves on the Champs-Élysées. The event is scheduled for 12 April.
Taking the metro between 6am and 7am on the day of the Paris Marathon offers a fascinating look at society. There will be those with eyes full of alcohol crossing paths with workers. The workers would undoubtedly prefer not to be there, alongside the runners, bibs pinned to their chests, ready to exert themselves over 42.195 kilometres.
There are three distinct groups in a single metro carriage. These include those escaping reality through intoxication, those enduring it, and those trying to prove they still control it.
A Change of Perspective
The writer recalls a time when they viewed marathon runners with a joyful contempt. This included a cousin who now refuses a glass of wine because of a morning run. It also applied to a friend who wears a hydration vest for park runs, or a neighbour pleased to explain their latest ‘jog’.
The Significance of the Marathon
The marathon is viewed as a rehabilitation of the human machine in hyper-connected societies. The event is taking place. It is the 49th edition of the Paris Marathon.
The marathon involves a mythical event contested in extreme conditions. It is a sporting challenge but also offers lessons for team management.