PARIS MARATHON 2026

This will be my second Paris Marathon.

I had a great time running the Paris Marathon last year (2025) and I impulsively signed up for 2026. And here it is, less than a week away from the Start of the Paris Marathon 2026.

By the time anyone reads this, it will all be over and there will be photos and videos, but as of this moment it is still 7 days away and I’m in my apartment in Los Angeles just thinking, planning, and getting nervous/excited as I always do.

Part of the thrill and reason I continue to run Marathons is precisely because of this complex mix of emotions. Even the emotions that are tough to deal with like nervousness, worry, anxiousness and even, sometimes, and overwhelming, “oh my god, what am I doing? Can I really do this? Do I have to do this? Can I just spend Sunday in bed?”

I don’t know about other runners, but even though this will be my 24th marathon I still just wonder if I can do it. Maybe that is just my own permanent sense of self-doubt/lack of confidence and that would be an easy judgement to make, but let’s not underestimate what it takes to cross a start line and run 26.2 miles. Yes, many people do it, and many people make it look easy, but it is still a significant physical and mental challenge. And yes, emotional.

It is like riding a roller coaster in the days and hours leading up to the actual race in that there is this slow clicking uphill movement that ratchets a person to the crest of the inevitable, and importantly the no-turning-back of the starting line.

I just worked on my Marathon gear checklist and it’s pretty long. 29 items. Many of these are for post-race and contingencies, but a lot are for what I will need during the race, like suntan lotion, bodyglide, fuel gels, etc. I’m in the planning and packing phase all the more important because I’m travelling to Paris for this race and I don’t want to leave anything important behind. That said…they have so much stuff at the Marathon Expo, but one rule is race with what you trained with.

Another reason why I continue to run marathons is to try and capture that excitement and feeling of accomplishment that I got when I ran my first marathon in New York back in 2002. That was still my best time, but that’s not why I cherish the memory. Going to the Expo, picking up my bib for an actual full marathon and not just any marathon but the New York Marathon! It was so exciting and honestly I just don’t even know how I willed myself to go through all of those beats because it also felt very daunting. And it still does, but that is just one of the complicated emotions that is part of the whole package. It also feels exciting to know that, no matter what, I’ve put in the training, the time, dedication, and planning to be there. So each of the little rituals, like getting one’s bib, and walking through the expo feels exciting and validating, and it’s the time when I’m seeing so many other people who have been doing the same things as me. Getting up early on weekends, doing long runs, etc.

And I just did this three weeks ago at the LA Marathon. I’m still wrestling with that one because the heat slowed me way down and I was really hoping to do much better. Thankfully the forecast for this coming Sunday is cool weather. I am very relieved. Day starts at 46 degrees with a high of 65. Amazing. That is sort of the sweet spot for a marathon. I just have to fly to Paris on Wednesday to get to that climate and enjoy the weather. I better pack a jacket. Don’t worry, it’s on the list.