Nice, early November
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The annual Marathon des Alpes Maritimes has only been running since 2008, but has put itself on the map in athletic circles and has become one of the main events of the Riviera sporting calendar. The marathon course starts in Nice and ends in Cannes and takes a picturesque route that follows the seafront through Cagnes-sur-mer, Villeneuve Loubet, Antibes and Juan Les Pins.
Since its first year, the race has gained in popularity due to both the spectacular setting, the fresh sea air and the relatively flat and well surfaced terrain. Given that numbers have far from dropped since 2008, those who wish to take part are advised to sign up early to avoid dissapointment.
In recent years organisers have been trying to achieve a more eco-friendly event with a focus on reducing carbon emissions relating to the event. Although with 34 nationalities represented at the Marathon from countries as far a field as the Virgin Islands, Morocco, Bahrain and Finland, there's no doubt that they had their work cut out for them.
The Marathon is held in November and is a great event to participate in with international athletes from all over the world competing for honours. Even just your support is appreciated and if you are not so physically inclined then your presence would be most welcome and the runners appreciate the supportive faces along the route. In comparison to the intense Iron Man which takes place in Nice every June, at the height of summer, November's temperatures on the Côte d'Azur are far more favourable for both athletes and spectators, though after 42km of running, this may be of little comfort to the runners.
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Posted on Tuesday, 10 November 2009 |
 The 2009 Marathon des Alpes Maritimes has been won by International athlete Kasime Adilo Roba from Ethiopia in a record time of 2 hours 10 minutes 17 seconds. The previous record had been held by Jakob Kitur with a time of 2hours 11 minutes 12 seconds.
The first woman to cross the line, also from Ethiopia, was Merima Mohamed who set a new race record with a time of 2hours 33 minutes 56 seconds.
These are not the only records to be set on this relatively new sporting event on the Cote d'Azur. The Marathon des Alpes Maritimes has gone from strength to strength in just two short years with more than 25,000 people turning out to cheer the competitors onto the home straight of the Croisette in Cannes.
According to local newspaper, Nice Matin, the event organisers had their work cut out for them as they tried to seamlessly distributed 20,000 bottles of water, 1.5 tonnes of bananas and 1.5 tonnes of oranges. The athletes also managed to get through 800kilo's of pasta a day and 1000 litres of tomato sauce.
The 2nd Marathon des Alpes MAritimes has been a great success, with world class athletes, excellent organisation and huge local support. The date for next years Nice Cannes Marathon has already been set for 2010 event on 14th November next year so dig out those running shoes, it may just be the motivation you need. |
