pickupthepacepaul

I am pacing the Paris Marathon 2019, and as part of this I joined all the Pacers for the Paris Breakfast Run. This is a run that is held on the Saturday morning the day before the marathon, and I didn’t really know what to expect before it started.

I started by meeting the other Pacers at our hotel. We then ran for the metro, with our flags, to get to the start line. I assume we were running late, but their English was limited, which was a million times better than my French.

When we arrived at the Paris Breakfast Run all Pacers made their way to the front. What I did not realise was this was a controlled 5k, led by the Pacers. They also had flags from all over the world, and I was given the British Flag, which makes sense as one of the few British pacers joining them this year.

It was a very slow run, but I had an absolutely amazing time, it was a great experience. I would however imagine it would be a very different experience if you are not a pacer. For me I was in and out of the front few rows, I was helping control the race, it was a lot of fun. There were thousands of runners behind us, and if they came for a run, they would have been disappointed. It was more of a gentle stroll around Paris.

If you come to Paris for the marathon I would definitely recommend the Paris Breakfast Run. But treat it as a nice active tour around Paris. Take photos, enjoy the sites. Please dont come trying to race. At the front people were constantly being told to get behind the Pacers, to slow down. It is a very controlled race.

After the run there is no medal, but you do get a tshirt to take part in the run. At the end breakfast is served with coffee and water. What a fantastic start to a marathon weekend.

After the run I joined the Pacers for their “usual” run back to the hotel. We ran 5k to the expo and the ran through the expo, making a lot of noise. I even went on a Redbull incline challenge which is on this machine where you run for 100 metres inclined. I did it in 43 seconds which apparently was 4th (at the time), I almost died Haha. We then ran back to the hotel.

I absolutely can’t wait for Paris Marathon 2019. This will be the 19th Marathon I have paced in 7 different countries. It is the second time I have ran Paris and I’m going to enjoy this one.