Grande Arche - Arc de Triomphe return trip with Maggie

Maggie (in front of the Arc of Triumph) - Champs-Elysées

6:51 AM - Maggie, who lives near Houston, runs very regularly. Early on Sunday, we ran on the West part of the Paris historical axis (map here), from "La Défense" up to the Arc of Triumph.

We thus left "La Défense" to cross its esplanade, the city of Neuilly, the avenue of the "Grande Armée" and join the Arc of Triumph on the "Place de l'Étoile" (place of the Star). 

We went around the "Arc de Triomphe", admired the other part of the historical axis: Champs-Elysées, far off, the obelisk of "La Concorde" then, at the end, the Louvre (on the photo above, by enlarging it, we can see the Obelisk and the buildings of the Louvre far off).

Maggie - The "Arc de Triomphe"

On returning to "La Défense", we were able to appreciate some of the numerous works of art arranged on the Esplanade, as "the pond of Takis" created by Vassilakis Panayotis Takis:

Maggie - The "Bassin" of Takis (1988) - The "Grande Arche" of "la Défense"

or "Le Moretti" ("Cheminée Moretti") of Raymond Moretti :

"Cheminée Moretti" (1995)

"La Défense" is the biggest business center in Europe. On this Sunday morning, the esplanade of "La Défense" was deserted, contrary to the working periods when the paving stone of "La Défense" is full of businesswomen and businessmen who join or leave their offices.

La Défense (Click on the picture for a larger view)

By the way, do you know why this business area is called "La Défense"?
In 1883, the Statue of the defense of Paris was placed on a traffic circle of Courbevoie, one of the cities where is situated the business center. The statue evokes the resistance and the bravery of the Paris defenders during the 1870 French-Prussian war.
See below "La Défense" in the debuts of the business center developments (begun with the CNIT):

On the left, "La Défense" in 1962 with the statue in the center and the CNIT recently created (1958) 

On the right, the Statue of "La Défense" still visible on the esplanade and drilling the paving stone.

A little run of 10 km through space and time! ;)

Merci Maggie !

The route of the tour:

On the Paris Marathon route with Magdalena

Magdalena - "Lac Inférieur" of the "Bois de Boulogne" - Close to Kilometer 41 (mile 25.8)

9:31 AM - Magdalena, who lives in Poland, prepares the 2013 Paris marathon. It will be her second marathon after the one of Warsaw. We thus chose to follow beautiful portions of the Paris Marathon route by running about 20 kilometers (12.7 miles).

We joined at first the magnificent Wood of Boulogne, awaiting the arrival of spring. 
It is in this wood that are located the last six kilometers of the marathon. For example, very close to the big lake, is the kilometer 41, an important passage!

Out of the wood, at the beginning of the avenue Foch, we reach the kilometer 42 of which you can see the track registered on the ground in the photo below (track of the 2012 Paris marathon - find the very fresh mark in this other article of April 2012). The 2013 road markings are soon going to appear...

Magdalena - Avenue Foch - Kilomètre 42, à 195 mètres de l'arrivée !

Kilometer 42, only 195 meters to go, Rich in sensations and feelings...
Before the "Arc de Triomphe", is the "triumphant" arrival (we can see the location of the arrival on the photo above, at the green light - click on the picture for a larger view).

We then stroll up the avenue Foch to find the Champs-Elysées, located on one of the branches of  "the Star", center of which is the Arc de Triomphe ("Place de l'Etoile"="Place of the star").
The Paris Marathon starts in the middle of the Champs-Elysées. What a magnificent place to begin a marathon! (See a photo of the start in this other article.)

Magdalena - Place de la Concorde - Having left the Kilometer 1 on the Champs-Elysées

Champs-Elysées, "place de la Concorde", the street of Rivoli, the Bastille, the Wood of Vincennes and its magnificent castle, the splendid banks of the Seine, the Wood of Boulogne and the grand finish avenue Foch.  Aren't you tempted by this route?

Route of the 2013 Paris Marathon

Merci Magdalena ! Good Paris marathon!

The route of the tour :

In front of the garden of the Elysée with Meredith and John

Meredith and John in front of the gardens of the Élysée Palace, residence of the President of the Republic.
To see the main entrance, on the other side, you can click here

9:07 AM - Meredith and John come from the East coast of the United States (Washington, New York) and are in Paris for a cultural and very sports visit.
This Monday, March 4th, we combined a tourist stroll and and "recovery jogging". Indeed, Meredith ran the day before, the Paris half marathon by establishing a new personal record on the distance. Bravo Meredith!

More than 30000 participants at the 2013 Paris Half-marathon! The start.
With a close look, you will see 2 Paris Running Tour guides in the foreground, orange and (Paris Running Tour) green T-shirts

That is thus, quietly, that we crossed Paris and took advantage of the beautiful morning, second brightened up morning after a very cold and dark winter.

Meredith and John - Garden of the Tuileries - On the historical axis: far off the Obelisk of the place de la Concorde and the Arc of Triumph at the end of Champs-Elysées

On the photo above, we see clearly the "pyramidion" (pyramid cover cap) at the top of the Obelisk, its gold cover shines as in the time of antique Egypt.
Did you also know that the Obelisk of "Place de la Concorde" represented the gnomon (the needle) of a gigantic sundial? Had you noticed these marks on the ground?

A gigantic sundial (1999) "place de la Concorde" - Click on the picture to see the details!
The hour calculation is not as simple (duration of the day, etc.)

By continuing our running, we returned on the historic axis, with in its beginning, the Louvre:

Meredith and John - The pyramid of the Louvre

It is in this way that we admired the oldest monument of Paris, the obelisk of Concorde (13è century BC) and one of the most modern, the Louvre Pyramid (inaugurated in 1989)!

Merci Meredith, merci John!

The route of the tour:

Paris Competitions News: Paris Half-Marathon!

Paris Half-Marathon 2010 - Into the starting areas looking forward to the start...

On Sunday, March 3rd, 2013, it is the half marathon of Paris, a little more than 21 km (>13mi) for a race in the East of Paris. 40000 runners for this new edition!

A beautiful sports route and a good preparation for the next marathon of Paris which will take place on Sunday, April 7th.

A sports route but also a beautiful touristic stroll, so, of course, you will see at first and on arrival the magnificent castle of Vincennes, but even if you are in full effort, take advantage of the stroll, raise eyes and look at Paris around you... 
Maybe it will make your running easier?

So don't miss, for example:

Notre-Dame

On your road between the 12th and the 13th kilometer, Notre-Dame at your left on the "Ile de la Cité"

L'Hôtel de Ville

At the 13th kilometer, before turning left, have a look to the "Mairie de Paris", the City hall of Paris

The tracks of the Castle of "La Bastille"

Just before the place of the Bastille, between the 14th and the 15th kilometer, on the ground, tracks indicating the locations of towers and walls of the former Bastille castle
(if the crowd allows you to see them)

You will see many other magnificent and historic places all along the route, take advantage of it (and if you have other remarkable places that you want to share with us, say it in a comment, thanks!).

Enjoy your race!

From the Latin Quarter to the Eiffel Tower with Peter

Peter - "Place de l'Alma", far off in the axis of avenue Montaigne, the "Sacré Coeur" on the "Butte Montmartre"

10:09 AM - Peter, who lives in Arhus, Denmark, prepares his next marathon, which will take place in April (Rotterdam or Hamburg). The training of Peter began well, notably by a long Running Tour in Barcelona with our friends of Barcelona Running Tour, a 21 km tour (~13 mi).
On this Friday, February 15th, two days later, it is with a running done at a good pace that we did 19 km. We combined "the useful and the pleasant" by evoking the history and the cultural places of Paris.
As we can see above, we did a small break "place de l'Alma" (located just after the 28th km of the marathon of Paris ;) ) with in the continuation of the avenue Montaigne, the Sacred Heart which dominates Paris since the Mound Montmartre.

A little later, having "climbed" the small hill of Chaillot, a nice tourist suggested photographing us since the esplanade of the Trocadéro:

The Eiffel tower from the Trocadéro

Back to the left bank, in the garden of the Luxembourg, we admired the Fountain Medici, formerly called " Cave of the Luxembourg ":

Peter - The Fountain Medici - In the background, to the right, the Panthéon

By enlarging the photo, you can see Galatée and Acis the shepherd, threatened by the Cyclops Polyphème. It is Marie de Medici, the widow of king Henri IV, who made build this fountain in 1630, in memory of the Florentine gardens of her childhood.

Not far from the garden of the Luxembourg, since the street of the Val de Grâce, appears the church of the same name:

Peter - Church of the "Val de Grace"

Another queen, Anne of Austria, made build the Church of the "Val de Grâce". The building was ended in 1667 (one of the highest domes in the period). Wife of Louis XIII, she made the wish to realize this church at the birth of her future child, birth which arrived 23 years after its marriage! This first son, Louis XIV, the famous "Sun King", put the first stone of the building at the age of 7.

Merci Peter, have a good marathon! 

The route of the tour:

Ducks swimming on the route of the Paris Marathon?

Voie Express rive droite (Right bank express way) - Click on the picture for a larger view and some explanations

Paris undergoes small floods sometimes, generally in February.
Discover the one of this February 2013 => here.

For the Paris marathon, don't worry, we have some times...
In April, it will be dry. And, by the way, if you run a marathon the 7th of April 2013, Paris, for instance, it is time to begin you marathon training plan, it is in 8 weeks!

Running in January in Paris

Champ de Mars -Far off, the "kiosque à musique" (banstand)

Champs de Mars - Far off, the "École Militaire" (Military School)

Champs de Mars - Alley Thomy-Thierry

Champ de Mars - Far off, behind the Eiffel Tower, the "Palais de Chaillot" (Trocadéro)

Running on the snow near the Eiffel Tower... :)

In October! In January! No matter what month we are, it is always a pleasure to run in Paris!
Come and do a tour, a nice visit while running with Paris Running Tour!