The 20 Kilomètres de Paris (''Paris 20 km'') is an annual

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

competition over 20 kilometres which takes place on the streets of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in October. First held in 1979, the race attracts top level international competitors and holds IAAF Silver Label Road Race status. The competition was the idea of Michel Jazy, a French runner who was an

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

medallist and two-time European Champion. The first edition was held through a joint effort by the

Council of Paris The Council of Paris (French: ''Conseil de Paris'') is the deliberative body responsible for governing Paris, the capital of France. It possesses both the powers of a municipal council (''conseil municipal'') and those of a departmental counci ...

and ASCAIR (the French Airforce's body for sport). The race has been organised under the auspices of ASCAIR since then. The course for the competition has a double looped, figure 8 style. The start point of the race is in the

Trocadéro The Trocadéro (), site of the Palais de Chaillot, is an area of Paris, France, in the 16th arrondissement, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. It is also the name of the 1878 palace which was demolished in 1937 to make way for the Palai ...

near the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "' ...

and runners then cross the

River Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

over the

Pont d'Iéna Pont d'Iéna ("Jena Bridge") is a bridge spanning the River Seine in Paris. It links the Eiffel Tower on the Left Bank to the district of Trocadéro on the Right Bank. History In 1807, by an imperial decree issued in Warsaw, Napoleon I orde ...

. It heads in an anti-clockwise loop through

Bois de Boulogne The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by t ...

before completing a smaller, clockwise loop along the banks of the Seine. The finish point is the Musée du quai Branly. The original race distance was 20.3 km, but this was reduced to 20 km in 1981. As a result of poor race organisation at the starting point, athlete's times from 1981 to 1992 are not accepted for record purposes; unusually quick times were recorded as some runners began the race a whole minute before the official starter's gun had been fired.Festou, Michel et al (2011-10-11)
Paris 20 km
Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2011-10-23. The men's and women's course records for the 20 km race are held by Kenyan athletes: Evans Cheruiyot completed the distance in 57:19 minutes in 2005 and

Sarah Chepchirchir Sarah Chepchirchir (born 27 July 1984 in Nandi County) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running competitions in distances ranging from 10K runs to the half marathon. She started her professional career by running in races in ...

's time of 1:05:03 hours was set in 2013. The race organisers abide by their own charter of

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

which – aside from outlining typical races rules and safety issues – includes the aims of increasing inclusion of women in the sport of

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

and promotion of environmentally friendly attitudes.Charter of Ethics
. 20kmParis. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.

Past winners

Key:

References

;List of winners *Festou, Michel et al. (2011-10-11)

Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:20 Kilometres de Paris Athletics competitions in France Athletics in Paris Recurring sporting events established in 1979 International sports competitions hosted by Paris 20K runs