parisian party

With a major birthday breathing down my neck, I stereotypically felt the need to “Do Something Big”, so today I did just that- I signed up for La Parisienne, a 6.5k Women’s Race around the Eiffel Tower to support Breast Cancer Research. No, that’s not a typo- the race IS only 6.5k. But for me, that’s practically a marathon! I’ve started training and everything (well, I WILL start training. Tomorrow. Promise!)

One of the things that attracted me to this race (besides the cause and the distance!) was that, for me, it’s very rare to see a group of French women bonding together over anything. French women don’t really seem to have the same sense of “sisterhood” that you find in the States. No girls night, no lipstick sharing, no “do-I-look-fat-in-this/o-my-God-you-are-so-skinny/no-YOU-are” conversations in public restrooms, no…anything. That feeling of sisterhood is another thing that I miss about not living in the U.S. This race, and the energy surrounding the whole event, really feels like an event that would take place in the States. In the photos on the website you see Parisian women, in all ages, shapes and sizes, laughing and being silly together- something I’ve rarely seen in my time here. I totally want to get in on that!

I first heard about La Parisienne last year (this is the race’s 11th year) from some of the women at AAWE. They told me about how much fun they had last year, how they ran as “copines” and how everyone there was in such great spirits. The race is open to 10,000 participants, and you can choose to run as Mother/Daughter, Friends (Copines), or as a Company. In addition to the race on the 16th, there are 2 other days of activities which will be set up on the Champs de Mars starting on September 14th. The village will offer fitness classes, aromatherapy massages, a Salon Bien Etre area and other activities based around women’s health and breast cancer awareness.

Take a look here for more information about running (or walking!) La Parisienne, or if you’re not able to run it on September 16th, here are some other ways that you can participate. See you at the finish line (ack! I hope!!)