Paris’s 14th Arrondissement 10K: the neighborhood race not to miss

Organized by the Office du Mouvement Sportif and the Paris 14th arrondissement town hall, with support from the JA Montrouge multisport club, the 14th Arrondissement 10K drew 3,500 runners on Sunday, January 18. The event confirmed its status as a must-run local race for residents, especially JAM members and athletes from its para-sport section.

“ It’s the 41st edition, so we’re changing things up ”, says François Denis, president of OMS Paris 14 and the race organizer, referring to the new T-shirt design. Fluorescent pink and “ less understated than last year’s blue ones ”, he adds, clearly won over by the choice. But the event’s identity is not defined by the colorful new shirts. At the heart of this neighborhood race, held in Paris’s 14th arrondissement since its creation, lies something far more valuable than kit: the spirit of the guide and visually impaired runner pairs, out in force for this 10K.

“ This race is first and foremost about being at home, athletically speaking. What matters today is coming together. This is the race where 90% of us are all here ”, explains Patrick Caldayroux, head of JAM’s para-sport section. That does not mean performance is off the table. Of the roughly ten pairs on the starting line, three finished in under 45 minutes. “ It’s the first time that’s happened. They’re starting to run seriously, and they have ambitions ”, says their coach, delighted.

A season opener for the winners

Chloé Conan, a marathoner whose 2:55 personal best came in Valencia in December, made an impressive return to racing after the holidays. She won in 37:59, finishing ahead of Ophélie Kinzonzi Barbarit, who clocked 38:00. “ It’s my first time in this race, and I really didn’t expect to win ”, says the winner, who runs for Run & Freedom in Le Mans. Beyond her performance, the Parisian enjoyed discovering a fast course close to home. “ It’s a great thing, it’s right near my house, ” she continues. And there aren’t many races in Paris in January. ” Giulia Peaucellier, who ran 39:40, completed the podium.

In the men’s race, Julien Rebeck, whose benchmark time is 28:41, carried his strong form into the weeks before the Barcelona Half Marathon on February 16. The Cercle sportif de Bourgoin-Jallieu athlete, sponsored by On and Distance, used the race as a “ full-scale dress rehearsal ” ahead of that major target. A 5K specialist who finished 11th at the most recent French Championships over the distance, he was pleased with his 23 km morning session: “ I did a short warm-up, 4K at half-marathon pace, a short recovery, the 10K race at half-marathon pace, and another short recovery ”. More than a minute behind, Lucien Chapotte took second in 31:20, while Lilian Eudier, who ran 2:20 in Valencia in December, completed the podium in 31:24.

The 14th Arrondissement 10K: the neighborhood race not to miss

A must-run date for guide and visually impaired pairs

The number of pairs keeps growing every year. “ At first, there were only two or three pairs. Now there are between nine and ten ”, says Patrick Caldayroux. François Denis has seen the same trend, delighted that the race has grown so popular with this particular group and brings together such a diverse field. This year, that included a group ready to push, pull and steady a joëlette all-terrain wheelchair. “ There’s one guy surrounded by five or six people ”, he says with a smile.

Most of the pairs at the race train together at JAM sessions or through other groups, such as Courir en duo. Oumar and David have taken part in this 10K together for the third time. “ Last year, we suffered over the final five kilometers because we went out too fast. Today, we held back on the first lap, then we were able to let loose a little on the second ”, they recall. According to David, the race is “ a bit of a showcase for us ”, which explains the record number of pairs on the start line and why being there matters. It also gives them a chance to measure their progress from one year to the next.

The goal on Sunday was therefore “ to find a good pace and be strong over the final five kilometers ”. Mission accomplished, although Oumar is already looking ahead to the next edition: “ I hope I can do even better! ” He is especially keen not to miss this event either, because it is often the only race he enters all year. “ And there are fewer hills ”, he says with a smile.

Another pair also made an impressive season debut: Meriam, who is blind and entirely reliant on her guide, and Régis, who finished in 46:25. They have been in touch for ten years and meet up both on Courir en duo outings and during their lunch breaks. “ Since we work nearby, we sometimes meet up to run at lunchtime ”, Régis explains, although, as Meriam puts it, they mainly run “ whenever it happens to work out ”. Meriam is no ordinary runner: she is a triathlete and a finisher of the Hawaii triathlon. She alternates between her summer season with her triathlon club and the winter, a period that allows her “ to add a little more intensity ”. “ I hadn’t run for a month, but I thought this would be a good way to get back into it ”, says Meriam, who came “ because it’s local ”. This really is the neighborhood race not to miss.

That brings the curtain down on the 2026 edition of the 14th Arrondissement 10K, a true Parisian season opener and, above all, a neighborhood race where cheers ring out from every direction, from the sidewalks to the balconies and windows of local residents. The date is already set for next year, with hopes of creating that same buzz again and bringing even more visually impaired and blind runners, alongside their guides, to the starting line.

➜ All the results from the 14th Arrondissement 10K