Nothing is more exhilarating than spring runs in Paris. Parks in this city are well-known for their mélange of history, elegance and functionality. Most parks are adjacent to historical sites; they also provide musical venues, chess games, children’s play areas and jogging trails. That runners in a city of about 64 million can find both city routes and wooded trails to indulge their passions speaks well of the “City of Light.”
Spring Runs at the Luxembourg Garden
Built by Marie de Medici in 1612, the Luxembourg Garden is a 60 acre park in the 6th arrondissement , known for its public amenities and quaint 19th century ease. Lined with fountains, flowerbeds and fruit trees, it boasts of a pond where children during summer holidays set off their sailboats in the sun. There are marionette stands, tennis courts and pony rides. But the most engaging of all is the running trail carved around the periphery of the garden, affording those who wish it, reprieve from madding crowds. Four turns around the park and a hearty jaunt back to a nearby hotel can easily make a 4.5 mile run.
Spring Runs in the Boulogne Woods
For the more venturesome runner, the Boulogne Woods, nestled in the western edge of the city provides miles of wooded forest trails. Once the playground of the wealthy, it is now the favourite haunt for runners and cyclists during the day. Joggers unfamiliar with the area should start with the 1.5 mile path surrounding the Lower Lake, then cross over from the southern tip of the lake to the .75 mile trail around the Upper lake. Three laps around this route will yield an honest 6.75 mile jaunt in a setting that is breathtakingly beautiful.
Opposite the Boulogne Woods is the Vicennes Woods which is also a great venue for trail runners. The best way to enter the Vicennes woods is through an entrance next to the Opera Bastille; this entrance leads down to the old railroad tracks now converted into a public parkway that winds 2 miles towards the Vicennes Woods. One lap around Lake Daumesnil is about 1.3 miles, making a minimum total of 5.3 miles when one repeats the return route.
Choose Your Own Route
While most runners (writer included) prefer quiet traffic-free trails, some are energized by the noise and frenzy of Parisian streets. To accommodate these runners, a service can be found at www.walkjogrun.net , a free running route planner one can access online. It provides satellite maps of any place in the world, complete with running routes recommended by other runners. Clicking on a green icon will display information about possible routes around the Eiffel Tower, the Tuileries and other scenic spots in the heart of Paris. This information comes complete with distance, time and caloric expenditure.
There is also the option of creating a new route online by entering one’s address in the city and following one’s choice of arrows to form a viable circuit. Accessible online from anywhere in the world, this running route planner is an ideal resource tool for the global runner.
With running fast becoming a global sport, Spring Runs in Paris is more doable than ever!
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