Signed up for the Paris Marathon? Every year, 35% of Paris Marathon runners are first-time marathoners. If that’s you, welcome to the marathon family. Or maybe you’re chasing a personal best on one of the most iconic marathons in the world.
Here you’ll find our tips for a successful build-up, plus how to get a personalized Paris Marathon training plan. Whether your goal is simply to become a finisher or to hit a specific time, it all applies.
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The Most Popular Marathon in France
The Paris Marathon is France’s biggest running event, with close to 50,000 participants. First held in 1976, it starts on the Champs-Elysées, then winds through Place de la Concorde, Place de la Bastille, the Bois de Vincennes, follows the Seine with the Eiffel Tower in view, and heads into the Bois de Boulogne. It finishes the full 42.195 km with the finish line on Avenue Foch.
Not as fast as Berlin, London, or Tokyo, the Paris Marathon is, like the New York City Marathon, a true tourist magnet.
That said, it’s absolutely possible to run a great time at the Paris Marathon. The course records prove it, 2:05:40 for Kenenisa Bekele (2014) on the men’s side, and 2:20:55 for Purity Rionoripo (2017) for the women.
The Paris Marathon course and elevation profile
Knowing the course helps you fine-tune your race strategy and even simulate key sections in training. That matters if you want to pace your effort efficiently. And why not aim to break the 3-hour, 3:30, 4-hour, or 4:30 barrier.
The main challenge of the Paris Marathon is the hill around kilometer 34. The last 3 kilometers are also a steady false flat uphill through the Bois de Boulogne.
Before we share Paris-specific training advice, here are the fundamentals of marathon training. To maximize your chances on race day, you need a marathon training plan that fits you, whether it’s your first marathon or your tenth.
The principles of a strong marathon training plan
People often say the marathon is a race of patience. Breathing usually isn’t the main issue. Instead, your energy stores drop and your muscles gradually tighten as the miles go by. Managing a marathon well means holding a steady pace, delaying the marathon wall, and limiting muscular and joint fatigue.
That’s why you should prepare specifically with a personalized training plan. It needs to reflect your running background, current fitness, your goal, and your key training paces (vVO2max, threshold, easy endurance, etc.). For a solid marathon build, we recommend running at least 3 times per week.
Run at your key training paces
It’s important to master your key paces. They teach your body to lock into marathon pace and create the right physiological adaptations, both cardio-respiratory efficiency and durability against muscle breakdown (impact on the ground).
Running faster than marathon pace helps raise your anaerobic threshold. Running slower helps your body get comfortable with long-duration efforts and endurance running.
We recommend long runs of 2 hours at an easy endurance pace. Once that feels comfortable, you can potentially build up to 2:30 if you’re feeling good. This should fit into a smart training cycle progression.
For marathon-pace work, you can do sessions with reps like 5 km or 10 km blocks, or workouts such as 2 x 40 minutes at marathon pace.
Marathon training plan, 8 weeks, 10 weeks, or 12 weeks?
Marathon prep is built on consistency. When you see marathon training plans over 8, 10, or 12 weeks, it’s obvious you still need to develop the foundations of endurance and speed all year long. The final specific block focuses on marathon pace and endurance. During the rest of the year, it’s important to vary training and especially to improve your vVO2max and faster paces.
As we often say, you need a plan that accounts for your maximal aerobic speed (vVO2max) and your endurance index. Online training plans are often based only on a percentage of vVO2max. That can create big mismatches if your endurance index isn’t taken into account.
What makes the Paris Marathon unique
As shown by the elevation profile, the hill at kilometer 34 hits right around the moment some runners meet the marathon wall. That’s why it feels even steeper, and why it’s become legendary.
Beyond training, you’ll also want to pay close attention to nutrition during the marathon so you avoid blood sugar spikes and a sudden drop in energy reserves.
On the training side, adding general strength and conditioning and strength training is a real advantage. It helps you stay strong, stable, and resilient in the final part of the race.
One more tip, during your 2-hour or 2:30 long runs, try to find a hill (not too steep) that mimics the famous Boulevard Exelmans climb. Aim to run it in the last 30 minutes of your workout.
Your personalized RunMotion Coach training plan for the Paris Marathon
In the RunMotion Coach app, you’ll find these principles, plus a proven training schedule used by thousands of marathoners.
Pace calculations are accurate thanks to your vVO2max and endurance index, both set up in “My Profile”.
Your training plan adapts to your availability, how you’re feeling, your level, and your goal. You’ll also get strength and conditioning workouts and running technique drills. All you have to do is follow the training.
Whether you’re a first-time marathoner or you’ve already finished a few, we’d love to support you for your Paris Marathon. We can’t wait to see you become a Paris Marathon finisher, or smash your personal best. Happy training.