We spoke to the youngest participant in the 2025 Paris Marathon

Meet the youngest participant eligible to race

Baptiste Droy is about to run his first marathon at barely 20 years old. Aged 19, this young business student in Paris is eligible to take part because he will turn 20 this year: on December 31, 2025, it came down to just a few hours (laughs).

Baptiste has always been physically active. As a child, he took up judo at the age of five to overcome his shyness. He discovered a sport and a discipline that stayed with him for more than 10 years, including competitions and two regional titles. As he grew older, he wanted to try out new sports: tennis, volleyball and cycling, before discovering running in his final year of high school. With a taste for pushing himself and making progress, he embraced the challenge and started putting on his running shoes regularly.

The former judoka has now been running for more than a year. A little faster, a little farther, a little longer… He first discovered the half-marathon distance and set himself the challenge of running one every month. And he didn't stop there: the marathon began to tempt him… A few weeks ago, Baptiste pinned on his first race bib at the Paris Half Marathon. In just a few days, he'll be under the start arch of the iconic Paris Marathon.

The youngest runner in the field tells us about his challenge

This will be Baptiste's first marathon. After months of training alone between classes and assignments, race day is drawing near… The student is calm and relaxed, with no pressure. The goal is to finish, enjoy the experience and, if possible, break four hours. During the race, Baptiste will be able to count on his family, who will be cheering him on from the side of the course (with plenty of smiles).

Baptiste Droy will set off from the Champs-Élysées with one goal in mind: to make it through the full 42.195 km, embracing the effort, the challenge and the rush of emotion. The youngest participant in this year's race, he embodies the enthusiasm and determination driving the thousands of runners who have come to take on the 2025 Paris Marathon. Whatever his pace and whatever his finishing time, this first experience of the iconic distance will be a defining milestone in his journey as a young marathoner. We wish him every success on the Paris roads, which promise to be unforgettable.