• Each year, the bib collection is an opportunity for participants of the Paris Marathon to meet running professionals at Run Experience, a real "running" show.
  • Equipment manufacturers, specialists, conferences but also test tracks for all activities, the show is aimed at both experienced athletes and neophytes who wish to get started.
  • 20 Minutes asked the champion, Yohan Durand, for some tips to prepare before a race for whom the head counts as much as the legs in the run.

A few days before a marathon, the runners are already in the starting blocks ready to face the 42.195 km of the course. There remains a final walk, as symbolic as it is practical. A rite: the withdrawal of the bib. At the Paris Marathon, this stage is an event since it takes place as part of Run Experience.

"It's not just a withdrawal area, it's a real running show," said Charles Mabille, in charge of trade shows at ASO, organizer of Sunday's race. Owner of sporting events such as the Tour de France or the Dakar, the company does not do things by halves with more than 150 exhibitors spread over 26,500 m2 at the Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles.

Medical certificate, equipment and food

In addition to being able to obtain a medical certificate on site, runners will find everything they need to eat well, for preparation, running and recovery. Intended for neophytes as well as experienced runners, the many stands also offer all the possible equipment of the runner: textiles, shoes, connected watches, bags and even headlamps and swimming suits... "It is a meeting place for all outdoor practices," explains Charles Mabille, "it is also aimed at trail runners and triathletes."

The show even offers specific spaces to test products, including a 200-meter-long running track. And because nothing beats expert advice to prepare for a race, in addition to the brands present on site, thematic conferences (race, recovery, etc.) will take place throughout these two and a half days.

Advice from a specialist

20 Minutes took the opportunity to ask Yohan Durand, 2021 France champion of the half marathon and 15th of the Paris marathon the same year, his advice for Sunday's event. "As the riders were able to do during their preparation, the most important thing is to put yourself in your bubble." Also, the champion recommends taking the time to prepare for the old of the race: "Pack your bag quietly. Check your shoes and outfit. Look at the route for difficult places and supplies. All this helps to limit stress. A material that the runners will have taken care to test before embarking on the marathon: "Do not discover your shoes or your outfit on the day of the race, it avoids unpleasant surprises. »

In the same way, a runner must know his eating pattern before the start, know how he will eat, when he will eat, if he prefers solid or liquid, etc.

Work the head as much as the legs

Once on the asphalt, the head counts as much as the legs. First mistake to avoid, especially for beginners, starting too quickly: "We must not let ourselves be carried away by faster riders at the start, warns Yohan Durand, we often wait for this for three or four months, a start on the Champs-Élysées, a crazy atmosphere with fanfares ... We must not be intoxicated by the event. Otherwise it pays off in the end."

On the contrary, the specialist advises rather to divide the race into "four times ten" and to start quietly: "The first ten kilometers are those of discovery, you have to find your pace, and maybe even stay a little below your objectives. Between 10 and 20, we put ourselves a little more in the race. Between the 20th and 30th kilometers, we accelerate, and after the 30th, we resist. »



Because it is from this famous thirtieth kilometer that things get tough. "This is the moment when the mind takes precedence over the legs," confirms Yohan Durand, who advises everyone to find the psychological keys to hold on. "You have to think about difficult moments that you have already overcome and transcribe that in the race. Remember why you do it. For many runners, it was often a challenge that got us there. For others, it's wanting to become a finisher."

Run Experience at the Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles. Free admission, Friday (10 a.m. to 20 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m. to 19 p.m.).

  • Marathon de Paris
  • Paris
  • Ile
  • Marathon
  • Running