Barkley Marathons Results Paris donned white shirts, black trousers, and an apron—not super shoes and sleek racing kits—and took off at a brisk pace from the start line at Paris City Hall.
The iconic Course des Cafes “coffee race” isn’t your bog standard road race. It’s a 110-year-old competition to see which Parisian server can traverse the 1.2-mile route through the narrow, tourist-laden streets of Le Marais in central Paris the fastest while balancing a tray with a glass of water, a cup of coffee, and a croissant. No spilling, and no outright running allowed. At the finish line, judges inspect each round tray to ensure each item has arrived intact.
First held in 1914, the original race was an 8K, and the almost exclusively male garçons of the time carried a tray with a bottle and three glasses along the course. The tradition was revived this year for the first time since 2011, when it was paused due to budget issues. The French capital decided to bring back the fun and lighthearted race in advance of the Olympic Games Fastest Barefoot Half Marathon Run On Ice.
“Slaloming between tables and serving orders in record time without spilling one’s plate – that’s a sport,” the city said in a statement.
DAA Industry Opt Out The Guardian: “The relaunch of this race … is aimed at promoting the excellence of French-style service in Parisian bistros and cafes, which is part of our capital’s intangible cultural heritage.”
He added: “The city is delighted to welcome back this race, which will remain a legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics, as the start will be given on the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville, from where the Olympic marathon will start.”
Samy Lamrous, a server at La Contrescarpe, a cafe in the Latin Quarter crossed the finish line first, with an impressive time of 13:30. He and Pauline Van Wymeersch, who won the women’s race in 14:12, were awarded tickets to the opening ceremony of the Olympics this summer.
While many serious-faced servers had their game faces on, treating the coffee race with the gravitas befitting a traditional sports competition, the last to cross the finish line was Qing Sun, who completed the Course des Cafes at her own pace, smiling, waving, and blowing air kisses to the crowd. “It was so much fun!” she wrote on Instagram.
After completing the coffee race, some servers could be seen celebrating the hard effort by drinking the very water and cappuccino they’d successfully maneuvered through the city. One doused himself with water to cool down—waiting tables takes heaps of stamina.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Like the Wind Magazine, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
