Running in the Champs-Elysées with Françoise and Benoît

Françoise and Benoît - Champs-Elysées

8:59 AM - With Françoise and Benoît of Belgium, we began our run on the Parisian western historic axis. This "royal" way begins in the Louvre with the equestrian statue of Louis XIV, crosses the garden of the Tuileries, continues by the Champs-Elysées, passes under the Arc de Triomphe and continues up to the business district of the La Defense to end at the Grande Arche.

We then continued our sports stroll along the Seine on the left bank.
In passing on the Pont des Arts, we saw the "beaches of Paris ": Paris-Plages.
Paris-Plages is an event which takes place in Paris in summer on the right bank automobile traffic lane: some sand, deckchairs, games, concerts, any sorts of activities and this year, a beautiful sand castle!

Paris-Plages

Merci Benoît et Françoise !

The route of the tour :

Running at dawn in Paris with Lou

Lou - Grand Palais

6:06 AM - Lou comes from Tasmania (Australia) where it is at present very cold (5 ° C). In Paris, it is summer. Early risers, we ran by taking advantage of the rising sun and the beautiful light which slowly spread on Paris.

In this Saturday of August 15th weekend, at 6 am, the city is deserted, Paris is an ideal route for the runners (the tourists will come numerous later during the day).
The glass roof of the Grand Palais exposed us its amazing transparency and its so light structure. Light seemingly, because the whole vault is constituted of about 8.500 tons of glass, steel and iron.
Pont Alexandre III, the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais were created for the Universal Exhibition of 1900 (We had spoken about it here).

Do you know that you can have a pleasant coffee break in the charming small garden of the Petit Palais (the entry is free)?

Petit Palais garden

Merci Lou !

The route of the tour :

Routes of a Running Tours guide

Routes of a Paris Running Tour guide (some GPS Garmin Forerunner 405 records, done since May 2008 - Training, competitions, Running tours, ...)

In Paris Running Tour, the runners-guides know perfectly their city, Paris. 
Crossing in great detail the capital almost every day, having created numerous beautiful routes, they can share Paris in a nice way with the visitors-runners who want to discover it.

During very early morning runs, some places are very privileged, enlightened axes as banks of the Seine or the Champ de Mars garden, the only park opened permanently:

Click to zoom

Numerous runners all over the world like sharing a moment of running by showing and by commenting on their city. Many big cities possess "Running Tours" companies.

We would like to greet a new one: Atlanta Running Tours 
Do you remember Kristy who ran with us? Kristy became Running Tour guide and shares her attractive city of with the sports visitors.
We wish her very beautiful races!

At the Arc of Triumph with Tracy

Tracy - Arc de Triomphe

6:30 AM - With Tracy, of Texas (USA), we ran the most beautiful Parisian Palace tour, admiring, during our running, the Ritz, place Vendome, hotel Meurice hotel, hotel of Crillon, the Plaza Athenée and other beautiful hotels.

Of course, we did not forget the magnificent Parisian monuments such as the majestic Arc de Triomphe of which we took advantage quietly in this early hour.
It is one of the arcs promised by Napoleon to his troops, as the one of the Carousel that we have already evoked here.

Have you ever been at the top of the Arc de Triomphe? The sight on the avenues arranged in the shape of a star (star as the name of the place) is there magnificent.

The Champs Elysées seen from the top of the Arc of Triumph, place de l'Etoile (place Charles de Gaulle)

Merci Tracy !

The route of the tour :

In front of the obelisk of La Concorde with Ewa

Ewa - Place de la Concorde

8:00 AM - Ewa lives near Washington (USA) and is a regular runner. A steady speed allowed us to go through a beautiful road in Paris by alternating the right and the left banks of the Seine.

Place de la Concorde, we admired the obelisk of Luxor and evoked its history.
The obelisk in antique Egypt would represent a motionless sunbeam (where from, doubtless, in its summit, the "pyramidion", pyramid cap, and its golden cover). The one of the place de la Concorde was offered by the viceroy of Egypt, Mehemet Ali, in 1830. It was settled on the place in 1836.

In the city of Washington, near Ewa's place, another obelisk is set up, in honour of George Washington. Built from 1848 and ended in 1884, it was the highest monument of the world (169 m) before being exceeded by the Eiffel Tower in 1889.

Washington monument

Do you know the small obelisk of the church Saint-Sulpice in Paris, also linked to the sun?

Gnomon - Eglise Saint-Sulpice - Paris

Merci Ewa !

The route of the tour: