La Champenoise, May [Getty Images] Fancy-dress running is de rigueur at many French races, but it’s just part of the picture in a country where running tends towards extremes. Where else could you refuel at 23 wine stations during a marathon

Stage 5: 42KToday was the marathon stage of the race. I managed to run the first half - I'd become bored with walking and wanted to test myself, but at the second checkpoint, at the 24K-mark, and with the temperature hovering around 50C, I took a

to your to-do list. © Getty Images EuropeParis Marathon Paris in the springtime provides a stunning setting for this popular French classic. Every April the race attracts plenty of Brits who’ve failed to gain a place at the London Marathon