Paris Versailles 2025

Function follows form

Way back in the nineties, that title was quite futuristic for both myself and my brother. For his oldest daughter Jennifer it wasn’t on her radar. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since my brother and I ran this race, but we are still here, at the start line.

Max, Jenny and myself.

Where else would you want to be.

We drove into Paris because the train services were unfortunately out for the weekend. That always seems to happen to me, irrespective of whatever marathon. It always seems an adventure just to line up with everyone else. We arrived at the Eifel tower and waited for Jenny.

Jenny arrived after working till 3am the night before and we made our way to the start. We took our time and after toilet duties, jogging up and down and dancing, the three of us were let out of the cage and on to the road that leads to the palace at Versailles. Leaving the Eiffel Tower in our tracks.

But before we did, a warm up was required. I led the dance- literally. I am not a dancer, that is obvious.

Everyone has them.

You never lose the moves

Here is a proper dancer though.

How to not get bored waiting for a toilet to become free.

Eventually the dancing has to stop and the running has to start and start it did. I expected traffic jams of people in front of us, as the slow, the not so slow and the sprinters all collided. It wasn’t to be though, once we passed the first 200 metres, the road to Versailles was ours. I didn’t want to run at an uncomfortable pace but I didn’t want to dawdle either and after the first couple of km Jenny and I were in our flow.

We chatted and as I glanced to my left at Jenny, I noticed that this wasn’t the person who’d ran with me in Cologne. Arms pumping in sync with legs that cycled quickly, delicately placing the feet on to the road, back straight, head held up high. Mehdi had weaved his magic again and Jenny was a running machine. I was impressed and told her that pace, time and results were not important.

Form was, followed by function. This would bring results.

At 6km we hit the hill, we knew it was coming and we knew it was hard and long.

It snarled at us, threatened to overcome us, force us to walk, defeated and sloppy until it was over.

It failed!

Jenny and I kept our form and trotted slowly up it ignoring the procession of people. It could not beat us and although it slowed us down, by 8km we were still gliding along the road to Versailles. Our form could not be stopped.

And so it went, me shouting encouragement to Jenny that her form was fantastic and that would bring results.

We hit 12km and chatted until 14km. OOPS that went quickly! I could see that we would be close a 1:30 finish which was fine by me.

There was a small hill that threatened to break our stride but we got past it and then there was no more hills. Just the screaming of the crowd.

One kilometre more and we were finished. I challenged Jenny to do a fartlek 1km, a fast as you can sprint to the finish. We kicked and although Jenny very much wanted to slow down, her form stayed true and the function followed.

We crashed through the finish at 1 hour 31 minutes.

Success? Oh yes!!

We never looked in trouble and we were seldom overtaken.

Job done!

On Sunday it’s Cologne

Bring it on!