Paris Marathon Bans Plastics
The Paris Marathon on April 12 will host about 60,000 runners and — for the first time — will ban single‑use plastics, requiring athletes to bring reusable water containers on course. Organizers are pushing new hydration strategies and sustainability measures across the 42.195 km route from the Champs‑Élysées to the Eiffel Tower (paris.fr) (olympics.com).
Amaury Sport Organisation says planning for the cup‑and‑bottle ban began in 2022 and was led by race director Thomas Delpeuch, who oversaw trials and city coordination. (paris.fr) (paris.fr) Organizers list 13 refreshment points on course — described as nine full stations and four water points — plus a full station at the finish and two TA Energy electrolyte stations, with shorter gaps between stations in the second half of the race. (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) Participants are required to bring a personal container (examples given: a 350–400 ml flask, a collapsible cup or a hydration pack) and can refill via volunteers or autonomous push‑button fountains placed along the route. (l-equipe.fr) (lequipe.fr) An elite “sub‑2:50” system will supply pre‑filled bottles to qualifying runners in the preferred wave, with mandatory collection and disposal only in designated zones 150 m after refreshment stations or risk disqualification. (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) Organizers note past editions distributed well over half a million plastic bottles (planning documents refer to replacing roughly 700,000 bottles), and roughly 700 volunteers will staff the 13 aid points to manage refilling operations. (paris.fr) (paris.fr) The measure is part of Paris’s post‑Games ban on single‑use plastics for city events and follows pilot projects such as the 20 km de Paris and trials at Run in Lyon used to refine refill ramps and volunteer procedures. (paris.fr) (paris.fr)
