Paris 2024 reveals route of Paralympic Marathon

Paris 2024 revealed on Tuesday (24 October) the route for the Paralympic Marathon which will take place on 8 September, last day of the Paralympic Games in the French capital.

The announcement of the Para athletics marathon route had the presence of Marie-Amélie Le Fur, Paralympic champion and President of the National Paralympic Committee of France (NPC France), and Stephane Troussel, President of the Seine-Saint-Denis Departmental Council.

The Paralympic marathon route was designed by the Paris 2024 team with the assistance of the Department of Seine-Saint-Denis, as well as the French Handisport Federation, with the aim of guaranteeing an optimal route for Paralympic marathon runners, while promoting the heritage of the department of Seine-Saint-Denis and of Paris. The course was approved by World Para Athletics.

Four gold medals will be up for grabs in the Paris 2024 Paralympic marathon, the men’s and women’s T12 and men’s and women’s T54. 

The route promises to be quick, with a rather flat first part which will wind through nine communes of Seine-Saint-Denis: La Courneuue, Dugny, Stains, Le Bourget, Draney, Bobigny, Pantin, Saint-Denis and Auberuilliers. The Paralympic marathon runners will then head to Paris for a final, more uneven part of the race along the right side of the capital. 

Tens of thousands of spectators will be able to watch and encourage the runners for free along this route, which will end with a tour of the Champs-Elysees, before moving towards the left side of Paris for the last few metres. The finish line will be placed on the Esplanade des lnvalides, as for the Olympic Games Marathon.

Three-time Paralympic champion and nine-time Paralympic medallist in Para athletics from Beijing 2008 to Tokyo 2020, Le Fur shared her expectations for the Paralympic marathon in Paris. 

“The Paralympic Marathon and the road Para cycling will be two highlights of the second part of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. For the athletes, the planned courses are as demanding as they are unique. From Seine-Saint-Denis to the most iconic monuments of Paris, the entire diversity of the Ile-de-France region will be highlighted. For the general public, it is an opportunity to discover, in free access, new events where we hope for great performances from French athletes. We are committed to Paris 2024 to make the marathon a popular and memorable sporting event,” the President of NPC France said.

Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, added: “We can't wait to see the Paralympic athletes set off on demanding courses. All along the route, access will be free for the public, so the goal is to be as numerous and numerous as possible. Through all these beautiful events, we will enjoy the last sporting emotions of the Games!”

Head of World Para Athletics, Paul Fitzgerald, highlighted the impact of the Paralympic marathon to the residents of the Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis regions. 

“For a couple of hours on 8 September next year, millions around the world will focus their attention on the Paralympic marathon course in Paris and will witness that road running is not limited to time or location. It is a natural part of the human movement and, when accessible, can be practiced anywhere in the world at any time. 

“World Para Athletics shares the vision of Paris 2024 for the Paralympic marathon to connect different parts of the city and bring Para athletics closer to the public in their neighbourhoods. The marathon allows spectators to be an active part of the event and is true evidence of ‘Games wide open’ as the slogan of the Paralympic Games. We aim to inspire movement in the neighbourhoods of Paris and around the globe with the Paralympic marathon, leaving a true legacy of our sport.”

The first two thirds of the route highlight Seine-Saint-Denis, a department at the heart of the Paris 2024 Games. The marathon will set out from La Courneuve, at the heart of Seine-Saint-Denis’ main green hub, Parc Georges Valbon. The park will come alive with Games, transformed into a celebration venue. From there, the athletes will head to Direction Le Bourget, Drancy, Bobigny and Pantin. 

After passing through Pantin, the Paralympic marathon runners will then return to Saint-Denis, where they will arrive from the South-East and pass in front of the Basilica Cathedral of Saint-Denis, which houses the tombs of the French kings, then the Stade de France – where the Para athletics track and field events will take place -, from the quay of the Saint-Denis canal.

The Paralympic athletes will continue their race through Auberuilliers, an opportunity for them to see Pulse, the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee. After more than 26 kilometres covered in Seine-Saint-Denis, the runners will enter Paris via the Porte d'Auberuilliers, to begin the final part of the race.

Once the Seine-Saint-Denis has been crossed, it is the Buttes Chaumont then the Champs-Elvsees which will spice up the end of the race, and which will constitute the largest part of the 185m of positive gradient that the course has. These two difficult sections will leave little respite for the runners to observe the monuments and iconic places of the capital that they will encounter throughout this final part.

As soon as they enter Paris, the athletes will face the first difficulty of the course. They will go up Rue de Crimee towards the Buttes-Chaumont Park, passing through the town hall of the 19th arrondissement of Paris, at kilometre 29. The descent via the Auenue Jean Jaures to reach the Saint Martin canal then the Jemmapes quay in the the 10th district will allow Paralympic athletes to recover.

They will then pass past the Bataclan in the 11th arrondissement, before going along the Place de la Republique to begin a route from the 9th arrondissement adjoining the 3rd and 2nd arrondissements via Boulevards Saint Martin, Bonne Nouuelle, Poissonniere, Montmartre, des Italiens and finally the Capuchins. 

At the heart of their effort, the Paralympic athletes will arrive in the 8th arrondissement of Paris after having passed the Palais Garnier and will be able to admire at the 36th kilometre the Church of the Madeleine then the Place de la Concorde, which will host the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games 11 days earlier.

The route of the Paralympic marathon will reach its conclusion after a passage on the Champs-Elysees and their slopes to the Arc de Triomphe, which provide a final difficulty as the approach the end of the race. The marathon will be the only event of the Paris 202 Games which will take the Champs-Elysees in its entirety. After a second passage past Place de la Concorde, near the Grand Palais, the race will end in front of the Esplanade des lnvalides, in the 7th arrondissement, on the left bank of Paris. 

More information about the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games can be found here. Tickets for Para athletics events are on sale on https://tickets.paris2024.org.