2002 Paris Marathon, April 2002
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Sunday April 7th
The weather was perfect for start of the marathon - temperatures in the high 40's, dry, and sunny.  I took the metro from our house to the starting line at the top of the Champs Elysées.  It was fairly cold outside, and I was only wearing my light race outfit, so I stretched and waited in the metro station.  I emerged from the station 20 minutes before the start, and realized that I had made a  big logistical mistake - over 25,000 people were already in line for the start, and the street was so packed (and lined with fences) that I had no choice but to start near the back.  The stating gun went off at 9am.....and 11 minutes later I crossed the start line.

The 11 minute delay was not really a problem - all runners carry a electronic chip in their shoe that monitors their true position (and eliminates the 11 minute delay).  But, I still had ~20,000 people that I needed to pass in front of me.  For the first ~15km I dodged people, ran on the sidewalk, jumped over dogs and fans, and tried to catch up to my speed group.  I ran certain kilometers in 4:20, and others in 5:10 depending on the traffic.  Eventually I realized that I would not be able to break my personal best time, and that  might as well join the pack and enjoy the race.  I settled into a more even pace (~4:50 per km), and slowly moved ahead.

The race was wonderfully supported, and there were an incredible number of fans.  After traversing the city from west to east, we looped through the Bois de Vincennes (a park on the east side of town), and then began to cross back from east to west following the Seine river. I saw Cecilia and Stefan at 21.1 km (halfway) - they had been moving around the racecourse trying to find me.  We passed most of the major Paris attractions, which were packed with cheering fans.  I was still recovering from a cold virus from the previous week, and my chest was somewhat tight, but my legs felt OK.

The race continued to the west side of Paris, and into the Bois de Bologne (a park on the west side of town), I hit the "wall" around 34 km, and my pace dropped to about 5:10 per km.  I felt better after eating a few sugar cubes at 37 km, and I knew that the finish was just ahead.  I finished 42.195 km in exactly 3:33:02.  Not my best time, but far from my worst (it was actually my third best).  I was certainly happy.

After finding Cecilia and Anahi (who had been biking around the race) in the finish area, we walked about 2 km to a cafe near the Eiffel Tower.  The walk was painful, but definitely good for me to cool down.  We met Stefan at the cafe, and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sun and eating - a perfect reward for a tough day.  Other images from the weekend:
 
Aaron at the Marathon Expo
Marathon Mania Even in the Metro!

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