© Emma Bert / Marathons.com
Saucony 10K de la Tour Eiffel: Brahim Bakkou and Mathilde Sénéchal take the win
For its third edition on Sunday, December 7, the Saucony 10K de la Tour Eiffel, in Paris’s 7th arrondissement, brought together 18,771 finishers. Part of the Paris Masters Circuit and set against a superb urban backdrop, the race crowned Brahim Bakkou and international runner Mathilde Sénéchal.
It is still dark on this December Sunday morning when the first participants emerge from the depths of the Paris metro onto Avenue de Suffren. A stormy sky pours relentless sheets of rain onto the crowd. Some runners brave the downpour with umbrellas held high, while others rush into the few bars already open. Very quickly, hundreds of them gather under the red awnings lit by small hanging lights. A compact crowd settles into these welcoming spaces filled with the smell of coffee, waiting for a lull in the weather to start warming up.
But the elements, stubborn as ever, offer no respite. Wearing hoods, garbage bags, space blankets, and even light windbreakers, the bravest eventually set off through the empty streets, facing both the torrential rain and the all-important clock. When the moment of the start arrives, the middle-distance runners reveal their colorful singlets, shiver, and hop in place to stay warm. The smell of wet asphalt fills the air, the chatter gradually fades, and the starting gun echoes, releasing the pack.
| A fast, high-density race
Despite the tough conditions, the 10 km de la Tour Eiffel Saucony was fast and impressively deep in terms of level. The flat course in the very heart of Paris attracted nearly 19,000 classified finishers. The start was given close to the UNESCO headquarters, before the runners headed along the Champ-de-Mars, the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. It is a spectacular route at the foot of iconic Paris landmarks, combining pure performance with sightseeing.
| Brahim Bakkou proved strongest in the closing stages
Some runners took in the scenery, while others had no time to admire the view. Moroccan athlete Brahim Bakkou managed to make the difference in a tight six-way battle over the closing kilometer, winning in 29:25, just ahead of Algerian Ali Messaoudi in 29:27 and French runner Abdelkarim Ben Zahra in 29:29. The winner, who competes for Amiens UC, once again showed his excellent form after clocking an impressive 28:47 at the Lille 10K last November.
“It was my first race here, by the Eiffel Tower. I came aiming for the podium, and I managed to beat the other competitors in the sprint after running a smart, well-managed race. The atmosphere was great. The rain didn’t bother me, and I was really carried along by the spectators on every street corner.”
Brahim Bakkou
| Mathilde Sénéchal, an unexpected personal best
The women’s race left far less room for suspense. In truth, Mathilde Sénéchal gave her rivals no chance at all. Alone from start to finish, the multiple French champion even managed to take almost a minute off her personal best. With a new time of 32:28, the AJ Blois–Onzain athlete erased her 33:21 mark from 2022. It was a very pleasant surprise for her, as she will be lining up for the Seville Marathon in February. Behind the French marathon runner, Sweden’s Sanna Mustonen crossed the finish line in 33:40, followed by Alice Michel in 33:53, who broke the 34-minute barrier for the first time.
“It’s a fantastic surprise, I’m delighted. It really shows that pushing hard in training does pay off. I’ve been training a lot, and consistently, for several years now, so it’s very satisfying to finally see this time happen. I was really stuck around 33:30 and struggled to get below it. I’m very surprised by how good I felt today, despite the tough conditions with the rain. I started my marathon build-up two weeks ago, so my focus had already shifted to another goal, but it really mattered to me to break this old 10 km personal best. Now it’s done. I will probably run another 10 km in Nice in January, but otherwise I’m focused on the marathon, where I hope to set a new personal best.”
Mathilde Sénéchal
| The final stop of the Paris Masters Circuit
The event is one of the four stages of the 2025 Paris Masters Circuit,along with the Champs-Elysées 10K (February 2025), the Panthéon 10K (May 2025), and the Trocadéro 10K (September 2025). At the end of the year, the organizers publish the overall standings of the challenge by adding together the finish times from the different races. It is worth noting that runners do not need to take part in every race to appear in the overall rankings.
The persistent rain did not stop the 10 km Tour Eiffel Saucony from drawing a large pack of dedicated runners. The city’s iconic Parisian streets echoed with the rhythm of footsteps and the cheers of spectators. The event delivered a spectacular edition highlighted by standout performances, especially from Mathilde Sénéchal and Brahim Bakkou.
✔ All the results of the 10 km Tour Eiffel Saucony
Emma BERT
Journaliste
