Course Map
About this Race
The Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris is a monument tour disguised as a road race, starting on the Champs-Élysées beneath the Arc de Triomphe and unspooling past the Place de la Concorde, the Bastille, Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and long riverside stretches along the Seine. The route dips through the green expanses of the Bois de Vincennes and the Bois de Boulogne, with a handful of short tunnels, cobbled patches, and gentle undulations that keep it honest rather than flat-out fast. Held in early April, it draws a huge, international, predominantly amateur field there as much for the sightseeing as the splits. The atmosphere is festive and scenic rather than thunderous, with the tunnels briefly swallowing both crowd noise and satellite signal. It suits runners who want a beautiful, celebratory race through one of the world's great cities over a course-record assault.
Course Insight
The start pours down the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe, the most glamorous opening kilometre in the sport, and the wide downhill plus the sheer occasion makes going out too fast almost irresistible. The middle loops through the Bois de Vincennes before the route doubles back along the Seine, and it's here the course springs its trap: a string of riverside tunnels and underpasses where your GPS blinks out and short ramps break your rhythm just as fatigue arrives. Mind the cobbled patches through the historic centre, jarring on tired legs. The Eiffel Tower stretch lifts you before the finish in the Bois de Boulogne. April is usually kind, but the closed-in quais can feel airless, so run the river section on feel, not on a watch you can't trust.
Difficulty Breakdown
Mostly due to tough late hills.
Course Details
- Course type
- Loop
- Elevation gain
- 225m
- Elevation loss
- 285m
- Highest point
- 70m
- Lowest point
- 30m
- Net elevation
- -60m
- Start
- Champs-Elysees
- Cutoff time
- 6h 0m
Course Records
- Men's
- 2:04:21 — Elisha Rotich (Kenya), 2021
- Women's
- 2:18:34 — Shure Demise (Ethiopia), 2026
Race History
The modern Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris traces its origins to 1976, when the race was revived to wind through the monuments and grand boulevards of the French capital. From a few thousand entrants it grew into one of the largest marathons in the world, regularly drawing tens of thousands of runners from across the globe each spring. Though it has never been part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, it has become a celebrated bucket-list event prized for its scenic tour past the Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower, and the Seine. Today it remains one of Europe's biggest and most popular marathons, defined by sightseeing and celebration as much as by racing.
Plan Your Trip
Everything you need to know to get there, get settled, and get to the start line.
- Nearest airport(s)
- Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY), Beauvais–Tillé (BVA)
- Best area to stay
- The 1st arrondissement for central luxury by the Champs-Élysées start, the Marais for boutique hotels in a buzzing quarter, and Montmartre for atmospheric, better-value stays a metro ride away.
- Getting to the start
- The start is on the Champs-Élysées by the Arc de Triomphe; take the Métro (lines 1, 2 or 6) or RER A to Charles de Gaulle–Étoile and walk down to your corral early before the avenue fills.