Paris Marathon: women surge
Paris Marathon 2026 will feature nearly 20,800 women — roughly one‑third of the projected 60,000 runners — the highest female turnout in the race’s history. Elite entrants targeting sub‑2:50 must use reusable bottles under a new sustainability rule, cutting single‑use plastics on race day (April 12). (sportmag.fr) (dhnet.be)
In 2025 the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris recorded 56,950 starters, of whom 31% were women — a benchmark organisers cite when measuring the recent rise in female participation. (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) Organisers have extended the elite-style pre-filled bottle system to runners targeting sub‑2:50, making that group eligible for pre-filled bottles while other runners use refill stations. (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) Eligibility for the sub‑2:50 system is explicitly tied to starting in the preferred wave (≤ 8:03 a.m.) and maintaining approximately a 4:01/km race pace. (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) Race logistics list 13 refreshment points along the route — nine full stations, four water points, plus two Ta Energy electrolyte stations — and state that no cups or bottles will be handed out on the course. (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) Organisers require that elite-style bottles be collected and disposed only in designated zones roughly 150 metres after aid stations, with the warning that improper disposal can lead to disqualification. (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) A commercial partnership will see Culligan provide reusable aluminium bottles at the finish and during race-week activations, part of a broader reuse-focused hydration strategy announced by the event. (culliganinternational.com) The shift follows an October 2025 announcement that the marathon would ban disposable cups and bottles at aid stations — a policy later nuanced to preserve the elite bottle system for sub‑2:50 runners. (marathons.com)
