A couple years ago, I was just going about my day and stumbled across a news article talking about some new, exciting additions to the 2024 Paris Olympic games. From a young age, I have always taken great interest in the Olympics, so I was curious to see what was in store for 2024. The article talked about the organizer’s ambitions to make their version the most accessible games in history. It laid out how they planned to add some new sports and also move the opening ceremonies from a traditional stadium setting to along the Seine.
However, the addition that caught my attention the most was the addition of a new general public marathon. It was dubbed the Marathon Pour Tous (“Marathon For All”). For the first time in history, there would be an additional Olympic Marathon race run. It would allow 20,000 participants to experience the same route as the Olympians. Having already run a couple of the “famous” world marathons (Boston & Chicago), this sounded like an incredible experience.
The article went on to explain that in the spirit of the games the race organizers planned to give away all the race entries through a series of different challenges and raffles. I was directed to sign up for an app. After downloading, I synced my smartwatch to complete various challenges to then be entered into raffles for race entries. When I initially signed up, I saw that hundreds of thousands of people were in the app so I knew that it would be a long shot to be selected. Even still, I kept up with the monthly challenges as I running regardless with my regular marathon training.
Nearly two years had passed since I first started using the app, and I had lost some of the early excitement around it. I still logged on periodically but was starting to forget about it. However, in August of 2023, I got an email out of the blue stating I had successfully won an entry into the race and to accept my spot. I was in such disbelief that I almost disregarded the email as a phishing attempt since after translating from French lacked too many details. I took some precautionary measures and finally determined it was legit. It required me to accept within 48 hours, and since it was a free entry I figured I would at least accept and then figure out if I wanted to go at a later date.
Later that day after work, I half-jokingly told my wife, Hannah, “do you want to go to the Olympics next year”? She gave me a surprised, “what are you talking about” look. I laughed and was like, “do you remember that Olympics app I joined a while ago”? I had mentioned it when I first signed up but, like me, she hadn’t given it much thought since. She eventually remembered and we both just kind of laughed about it and said we will think about it.
The nice thing about finding out when we did was it was still a year away from the event. While the race entry was free, we still had to consider the cost of planning an international trip. As I told our family and friends about it, they all said we had to go since this was a once in a lifetime experience. The more we thought about it, the more excited we got about going. By December, we made the decision that we were going to go and the excitement began to build!
Unlike many of the participants in the race, this was not my first time running a marathon. However, preparing for this race was unique for me in many ways:
- Summer Date: Training (and racing) for a marathon is typically best done in the cooler months of the year. Previously I had only ever trained for races in April/May or October/November. Training for a race in August was the most difficult training I went through due to the summer heat & humidity.
- International Travel: This also marked my first time racing outside of the United States. I really didn’t know what to expect on how many body would adjust to the long travel and time difference. I have traveled within the United States for races before, but this was much more extreme.
- Time of the Race: Finally, probably the most unpredictable part of the race was its unique start time. Every race I had previously done had started in the morning, with my latest start time being 10am at Boston. Paris started at 9pm due to the logistics of holding the race on the same course as the actual Olympic Marathon. This presented a lot of new obstacles I had to consider: how to fuel before/during/after the race, how to stay rested for a race late in the day, how to eat & recover after the race, and how the darkness and weather conditions would factor during the race.
- Difficult Course: In addition to all of the previous challenges, the Olympic Marathon race course featured significantly more elevation change than any of my previous marathons.
So much uncertainty made for a difficult training block. I was constantly being pushed out of my comfort zone and into the unfamiliar. Looking back, this all was a good growing experience for me as a runner and a person. I learned how to adapt and listen to my body and how to be flexible. With all these challenges, I knew that I would need to approach this race differently than other races.
I shifted from my usual goal of going for a PR, to simply enjoying the race and taking in the experience. As a natural competitor, this was a difficult shift in mentality at first. I tried to still approach my training like I was going for a personal record. However, since that wasn’t my ultimate goal, it made training motivation in the heat more difficult. Finally, as a final hurdle to overcome, our family all came down with COVID just 3 weeks before the race. Fortunately we recovered in time to make our once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Olympics!
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Traveling to Paris
With the race taking place on Saturday night, we left Cincinnati on Wednesday night to be able to spend some time in the city and hopefully get over any jet lag. With the race taking place at night, we opted for lodging that would be on the race route. That way Hannah wouldn’t have to be out walking alone at night. Finding a hotel during the middle of the Olympics proved difficult, but we finally found a great option at the Hotel La Bourdonnais. It was a great location for us and it was very safe and convenient. It had a subway stop just around the corner, plenty of restaurants and shops, and the Eiffel Tower just around the corner. We highly recommend it for anyone looking for lodging in Paris!
On Friday we took it easy in the morning and rested from all the travel over the past 24 hours. Around noon, we got out and headed out on the train to tour the palace and estate of Versailles. It was incredible to see all the grandeur and magnificence of the grounds. Although, the stuffy palace made us thankful for the air conditioning in our hotel. After a few hours exploring we made our way back into the city to pick up my race bib.
On Saturday morning I got to experience my first live Olympics event. Staying on the Olympic Marathon route meant that the men’s marathon ran directly in front of our hotel. The race started at 8am and we tuned into the race on our TV while we waited for the runners to get closer to us. It was exciting to watch it live, since back at home it would have been 2am! We were located about 24 miles into the race, so it took nearly 2 hours. I watched with anticipation as I knew I would get my chance to run the same route later that evening.
As the runners neared, we joined the massive crowd lined up along our boulevard to cheer on the runners. It was amazing to see the Olympic spirit in full force as fans from all over the world collectively cheered runners to the finish. The only disappointment came when we finally confirmed that Eliud Kipchoge had dropped out of the race just a few kilometers before reaching us. I had been eagerly awaiting my chance to see him in person but alas it was just not his day.
After the excitement of the runners passed, we grabbed some brunch around the corner and planned our day. We wanted to explore more of the city before my race, but I also needed to save my energy. As we walked back from brunch, we noticed a segway tour shop down the way from our hotel. We inquired if they had any openings and sure enough, they were able to get us in! We had never used segways before, but after a quick 5-minute training session we were whizzing around the streets of Paris. It was a fun (but not always relaxing!) way to get to go experience the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, and other sights without having to take thousands of steps. Following the 90-minute tour, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the big evening.
With the Olympic Marathon being my 9th marathon, I had pretty much gotten my race day routine down. However, with the race starting at night, I had to make some changes this time around to my pre-race meal. Typically, my pre-race meal (breakfast) would consist of 2-3 pieces of bread with honey and a banana. This time, I opted for some fresh Margherita pizza from down the street about 3 hours before the race. Time passed slowly until finally it was time to begin my journey over to the starting line near the Hotel de Ville.
Olympic Marathon Race Recap
After wading through huge crowds conversing upon the start line, I finally managed to make it to the corral around 8:30. Typically I would have began my warm up routine, but after the long walk through the crowds and the 80 degree temperatures, I happily found a shaded spot to try to cool down some before the race began. I had prepared knowing it would likely be warm for the race, but the heat & humidity was higher than I predicted. I relied heavily on my past race experience in Chicago (72 at the start) and knew I would need to slow down, conserve my energy, and take on plenty of fluids throughout the race.
The pre-race festivities started 10-15 minutes before 9pm and featured the official song of the Olympics and the French anthem. It was a beautiful evening (just a little hot!) with the sun setting off in the distance. Before I knew it, we were off and running. The opening mile of a major marathon is always such a rush of emotions. The butterflies instantly vanished and I couldn’t help but beam as I passed thousands of cheering people lining the streets. It easily matched the atmospheres of Boston or Chicago. I tried my best to soak up everything as I followed the stream of runners ahead of me. The start of the race was rather slow as it was difficult to find a rhythm with some narrow streets.
I really didn’t pay too much attention to my watch during the first few miles. I knew from past races that GPS signals can get messed up while running through downtown buildings, so I just tried to stay in touch with the 3:20 pacer up ahead. I’ve run sub-3 hours before, but today the goal was to enjoy and get to the finish in one piece. I found a steady rhythm around 7:20-7:30 pace and put it in cruise control. The sights in the first few miles were incredible. Running past all the monuments, historical buildings, through the Louvre, and seeing the lit Olympic cauldron for the first time.
Time For The Hills
The course was very steady for the first 15K, but I knew the hills waited up ahead. I was feeling warm, but well within myself. I silently thanked myself for all the hard training I put in to get to this point. We passed through many town squares as the daylight faded into a clear night sky. I began to check my watch a little more frequently as we were nearing the beginning of the hills.
We finally made the turn off the main road and began climbing. I kept my effort steady and quickly began passing other runners. I had put in lots of hill training to make sure I was prepared. After over 3 miles of steady climbing I finally reached the final, steeper half mile of the climb. Once we crested the hill, I could see the halfway mark up ahead and began to enjoy the rewarding downhill.
Soon we arrived in Versailles and passed by the palace, which was lit up in the distance. The next few miles went by quickly as I put my thoughts ahead to the big hill in the distance. In studying the course, I knew everything about the wall that was to come. However, approaching it in person was a very humbling experience. As we headed down the gentle slope towards the base, we could see a light tunnel the organizers had set up to provide some motivation.
As I hit the base and began the ascent, I could see the vast majority of those ahead of me had slowed to a walk. The 10%+ grade burned my legs as I slowed to less than 9-minute pace. The light tunnel only lasted for the beginning portion of the climb as we were left to climb the rest in the feint light of the streetlights. Finally, I made it to the top, shook my legs a little and felt some relief that the hardest part was past me. Now it was time to head for the finish.
What soon surprised me though was how difficult the next mile or so of downhill would be. Downhill running puts a lot of force on your muscles and joints, and this is magnified as the gradient increases. It was a nice break to help my heart rate recover from the hills, but my legs quickly began to feel the burn. As I neared the bottom of the hill I found myself longing for a gradual incline again (the brain does some weird things during a marathon!).
As the route got closer to the city center, the crowd and the views began to pick up again. A long straightaway gave some amazing views of the grand, lit-up Eiffel Tower in the distance. It served as a guiding beacon as we journeyed closer and closer. While I certainly did not plan the timing in advance, I looked down at my watch and saw the clock tick to midnight just as I passed under the sparkling spectacle. It was awe-inspiring and I made an impromptu decision to pull out my phone and stop for a quick selfie to capture the moment.
The heat and exhaustion began to wear on me some as I was nearing the finish. But up ahead I was very excited to see my biggest fan waiting to cheer me on. I got a burst of energy as I saw Hannah up ahead and ran over to get a quick picture and to say hello. After the brief pause, the final 2 miles to the finish felt like an eternity. However, the crowds grew in size in the final quarter mile, and as I finally made the turn into the stadium, I got to experience what it felt like to be an Olympian. While my finish time was slower than most of my previous races (3:23), I came away with some incredible memories that will last a lifetime.
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