More than 9,000 participants are expected this Sunday 1 November along the banks of the Seine for the 13th edition of the MAIF Ekiden de Paris. The race is contested as a relay over the marathon distance and brings together both amateur runners and several major names from French athletics and the national sporting scene.
This Sunday 1 November, the Ekiden de Paris takes place on loops of 5km and 7.195km laid out along the Seine quays, not far from the Eiffel Tower. The article frames the event as a key seasonal highlight, balancing time-keeping ambitions with a desire to enjoy sharing a challenge with friends or colleagues.
The Faster Toget’her team is putting itself forward with an objective: to beat the women’s French Ekiden record. The women’s benchmark given is 2h22’53, set in 1996 by a national team including in particular Marie-Pierre Duros, Maria Rebelo and Rosario Murcia.
For the men, the French record is announced as having already been broken at the previous edition. In 2025, Décines Meyzieu Athlétisme would have left its mark with its team led by Valentin Bresc, Baptiste Jard and Baptiste Fourmont, for a time of 2h02’43.
The event also fits within a logic of sporting diversity and employers. Anaïs Bourgoin, French record-holder over 800 m, will take part as part of one of the two teams from the French National Police, where she will be joined in particular by triathlete Léonie Périault, an ex-French cross-country champion.
Finally, the article recalls the collective dimension of the Japanese formula. Thousands of runners, split across 1,630 teams and aged 14 to 87, will take the start with a range of different goals. The race is presented as a relay in which six legs are assigned to cover the marathon’s 42.195 km, with a start signalled by Jean Gracia and Yves Pellicier.
