MEDIAS ARRANGEMENTS

Press area On the village: Saturday, March 5: 10am – 6pm. Parc Floral Bois de Vincennes, Route de la Pyramide, 75012 Paris On the press bus: Sunday, March 6: 7:30 am – 8:15 am. You will be welcomed at the press bus at the finish line. Route de la Pyramide – esplanade of the Château de Vincennes, 75012 Paris. We will give you your accreditation there as well as a press bib. The press accreditation for the Paris Half Marathon will give you access to - to the start zone and line - avenue Daumesnil, esplanade of the Château de Vincennes. - to the finish zone and line - route de la Pyramide, esplanade of the Château de Vincennes. - to press information in the press bus at the finish line - route de la Pyramide, esplanade of the Château de Vincennes. Don’t forget to request accreditation beforehand on the website www.registering.aso.fr

Discover all the necessary information about the accreditation procedure on the website’s media area (www.fitbitsemideparis.com)

Follow the race /!\ We remind you that this year once again, the organisation would like to reduce the number of race vehicles, so no press motorbikes will be available to the media.

Moreover, personal motorbikes will not be allowed to drive on the route either. When you collect your accreditation, you will be shown an alternative route so that you can move around more easily.

News Access If you would like to receive information about the news access, available on FTP at the end of the race, please contact us:

Press contacts

Press officer

Isabelle DELAUNE 06 20 53 90 14

contact@evenementielles.com presseathle@aso.fr

Flora SCOUARNEC 06 64 98 93 78

flora@evenementielles.com presseathle@aso.fr

Press department

Sarah LENOIR slenoir@aso.fr

2016 edition ……………………………………….…………………………………….....................

Outstanding growth ….…………………….………………...……………………………………...

The Semi de Paris becomes the Fitbit Semi de Paris …………………………………………..

Course map ………………………….……………………………………………………………….

Race timetable ………………………….…………………………………………………………....

Start and finish zones ………………………….……………………….…………………………...

The village ….…………………….…………………………………………………………………..

Interview with Benoit Menard, Director Managing Editor Newsroom Paris for adidas …….…

Interview with Sarah Soltane, Brand event project manager for Vittel …….………………….. The Fitbit Semi de Paris thanks its sponsors ……..…………….………………………………..

2015 edition in pictures …..……………………….………………………………………………..

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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2016 Fitbit Semi de Paris

Date: Sunday, March 6 Edition: 24th

Inaugural edition: 1993 ASO has organised the event since 1998

Start of the road running season Second biggest race in France (after the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris)

Third largest half marathon in the world after the Göteborgsvarvet (Sweden) and the Bupa Great North Run (United Kingdom)

Over 38,000 fans on Facebook (as of January 2016) Over 1,200 volunteers on duty

Course Start: Avenue Daumesnil (esplanade of the Château de Vincennes) Starting time: 9 am (9 staggered waves until 10:45 am) Finish: Route de la Pyramide Estimated finishing time of the first runner: 10 am Estimated finishing time of the last runner: 1:30 pm

Competitors 47,000 people signed up 36% of athletes on the start line are women (+2% compared with 2015) 64% of participants are men 37: Average age 127 nationalities present 84.5% of registered participants are French (78% from Île-de-France). The United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, the United States and Germany follow. 40% of competitors are making their debut in a timed race 18 years old: youngest competitor 81 years old: oldest competitor

Refreshments 4 refreshment stands (km 5.8, km 11, km 16 and finish) 2 sponge stands. 142,560 bottles of water Over 8 tonnes of Guadeloupian and Martinican bananas Over 6 tonnes of oranges 1.1 tonnes of nuts 300 kilos of sugar

Run the Fitbit Semi de Paris to the beat of music One of the many things that set this race apart is the music filling the streets and avenues of eastern Paris to celebrate the thrill of running on the 21.1 km course. Over 40 acts will line the course on March 6, featuring brass bands, drums and rock bands to energise and cheer the participants on.

2016 EDITION

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Course Opening dates and times

Friday, March 4: 10 am – 7:30 pm

Saturday, March 5:

9 am – 7:30 pm Entry: Free

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Stanley Biwott (KEN)

Pauline Njeri (KEN)

OUTSTANDING GROWTH The last four editions of the Semi de Paris have consolidated its place among the fastest and most popular races in the international calendar. New event records were set in both the men and the women's categories in 2012. Pauline Njeri ran the 21.1 km in 1 h 07′55″, while fellow Kenyan Stanley Biwott became the first runner to get to the finish line on the esplanade of the Château de Vincennes in less than an hour, setting a time of 59′44″. 2013 also smashed the record of finishers. The opening event of the season in the capital boasted 30,371 finishers as it kicked off the running trilogy organised by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), which also includes the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris and the 10 km L'Équipe. A total of more than 110,000 runners now take part in the three events held in the streets of Paris in the first half of the year. Two new participation records were set in 2014 and 2015, with 33,200 runners setting off from the esplanade of the Château de Vincennes two years ago and 35,314 competitors running under the sunny skies last year. Kenya's Vincent Yator beat fellow countryman Mark Korir to take the men's race with an outstanding time of 1 h 00′16″. Ethiopia's Abrha Asefa took the bottom step of the podium. The women's race ended in an Ethiopian 1-2-3. Defending champion Yebrgual Melese prevailed over Afera Godfay and Abrha Asefa to grab the win with a time of 1 h 09′54″.

Event records: Men: Stanley Biwott (KEN) : 59’44” (2012) Women: Pauline Njeri (KEN) : 1:07’55” (2012)

2015 list of winners: Men podium : 1. Vincent Yator (KEN) 1h00’16” 2. Mark Korir (KEN) 1h00’52” 3. Abrha Asefa (ETH) 1h01’11” Women podium: 1. Yebrgual Melese (ETH) 1h09’54” 2. Afera Godfay (ETH) 1h10’08” 3. Bekelech Bedada (ETH) 1h10’13”

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THE SEMI DE PARIS BECOMES THE FITBIT SEMI DE PARIS

Fitbit becomes the title sponsor of the Semi de Paris

Fitbit, the market leader in health and fitness wearables, becomes the title sponsor of the Semi de Paris and helps users lead a healthier, more active lifestyle by tracking their activity and health in their day-to-day lives. Fitbit sells the widest range of electronic coaches on the market so that all athletes can find the ideal product tailored to their lifestyle and fitness goals. Laurent Lachaux, Sales and Sponsorship manager at Amaury Sport Organisation, is delighted: "The buzzword in our partnership with Fitbit is 'maturity'. We want to work together with a company that can drive the development of the Semi de Paris. Fitbit is a fashionable brand targeting runners of all levels. Our shared goal is to get as many people as possible to practise sport and join the running community. Our partnership with Fitbit takes the Semi de Paris to a whole new level."

Brand-new name, visual identity and logo for the Semi de Paris

The Semi de Paris, the second biggest running event in France after the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris, is undergoing a total makeover for the 2016 edition, scheduled for March 6. A new name —the Semi-Marathon de Paris becomes the Fitbit Semi de Paris—, a new logo and a new visual identity have been revealed. Édouard Cassignol, Public Events Manager at ASO, explains: "The half marathon is the gateway to the world of endurance. It attracts an increasingly young and connected crowd in which women will soon be in the majority. We are changing our logo and visual identity to embrace the new realities of the running culture. We chose an urban letter type and two colours borrowed from the City of Paris, which ooze dynamism and fun." Édouard Cassignol talks about the name change: "Shorter, more modern and more in line with the name runners use nowadays: 'Fitbit Semi de Paris' sounds stimulating and energetic — two qualities found in runners of all levels!"

Fitbit helps its users to adopt a healthier lifestyle and stay active by taking advantage of the power of the data, and by finding inspiration and the guidance necessary to achieve their goals. As a leader in the connected health and fitness area, Fitbit designs products and user experiences that allow each individual to track the daily changes in their physical form. The latest arrival in the catalogue of Fitbit products, Fitbit Blaze is an elegant fitness watch, created to optimize training sessions and offer a modular design, which adapts to the style of the individual, while providing essential notifications – all in just one unique device – which is perfectly suited for all lifestyles. The range of Fitbit products includes premium devices such as the coaches and activity analysers Fitbit SurgeTM, Fitbit BlazeTM Fitbit Charge HRTM, Fitbit ChargeTM, Fitbit Flex®, Fitbit One® and Fitbit Zip®, as well as Wi-Fi intelligent Aria® scale

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COURSE MAP

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Street

First runner

Last runner

Start Avenue Daumesnil 09:00:00 10:45:00

1 Avenue de Saint Maurice 09:02:50 10:53:32

2 Rte de ceinture du Lac Daumesnil 09:05:40 11:02:04

3 Avenue du général Michel Bizot 09:08:30 11:10:36

4 Avenue de Saint Mandé 09:11:20 11:19:08

5 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine 09:14:10 11:27:40

6 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine 09:17:00 11:36:12

7 Rue Saint-Antoine 09:19:50 11:44:44

8 Rue de Rivoli 09:22:40 11:53:16

9 Quai de l'Hôtel de Ville 09:25:30 12:01:48

10 Quai Henri IV 09:28:20 12:10:20

11 Rue de Lyon 09:31:10 12:18:52

12 Avenue Daumesnil 09:34:00 12:27:24

13 Rue de Charenton 09:36:50 12:35:56

14 Rue de Charenton 09:39:40 12:44:28

15 Avenue de Gravelle 09:42:30 12:53:00

16 Avenue de Gravelle 09:45:20 13:01:32

17 Avenue de Gravelle 09:48:10 13:10:04

18 Avenue de Gravelle 09:51:00 13:18:36

19 Route du Pesage 09:53:50 13:27:08

20 Route de la Pyramide 09:56:40 13:35:40

Finish 21.1 km Route de la Pyramide 09:59:30 13:44:12

RACE TIMETABLE

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Start zone

Finish zone

Competitors who come to pick up their race numbers can also visit the stands of the many races present in the Village and, who knows, get a few ideas for future competitions. Fitbit Semi de Paris Village

Opening dates and times Friday, March 4: 10 am – 7:30 pm Saturday, March 5: 9 am – 7:30 pm How to get there Parc Floral de Paris, Bois de Vincennes Route de la Pyramide 75012 Paris

Château de Vincennes station

line 112

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THE VILLAGE

A Village all about camarederie

With sixty exhibitors on site, the Semi de Paris Village is the first big event of the running season. Event partners will show off the latest products to hit the running market at their stands. The running press and charities associated with the event will be at the Hall de la Pinède of the Parc Floral in Paris as well.

INTERVIEW WITH BENOIT MENARD, Director Managing Editor Newsroom Paris for adidas adidas has been the major sponsor of the Semi-Marathon de Paris for many years. How have the demands of the runners changed over the last decade? We have seen several trends: Running has grown in popularity and more and more people have started running, while the target has become younger. Over the last two to three years, we have seen athletes in this segment take part in lots of races, aim for better sports performances, smash records, set themselves goals and compare their results. Another huge trend has to do with the digital world and smartphones: we noticed many runners were using a wide range of apps to measure their performances and they enjoy running to the beat of music. This is just the beginning for wearable sportswear, and adidas is already busy at work on smart clothes and shoes. Furthermore, as we saw in the Boost Energy League, over the last 10 years running has evolved from an individual sport to a collective one with a thriving community! The Fitbit Semi de Paris of March 6 will the first major event for many competitors. What advice can you give them on sportswear?

My first tip is to avoid running with new shoes, to know their footwear inside out and wear it in training sessions before the race. Leave nothing about sportswear to chance, carry out a "dress rehearsal" and, of course, pick the right model, which is no other than UltraBoost adidas, keeping the weather in mind when choosing what to wear.

Runners are increasingly partial to colours and new cuts in clothes. What are the major running trends of spring 2016 for adidas?

Looks are also an important aspect of sport, especially among keen female runners, who pay a great deal of attention to appearances. adidas took this into account, and on January 28 it launched a new model of running shoes for women like these: Pure Boost X is just what they are looking for, with impressive looks and tech. adidas also markets colourful, high-tech clothes that combine good looks and top-notch performance. We also have to launch new tech and models, such as UltraBoost, Supernova Glide or Adizero, which came out in January 2016. That way, we can tailor the best products to each profile. We also noticed that more and more runners are customising their shoes on adidas.com via the mi-adidas platform, where they can pick the colours and add a personal text, among other things. Contact : Laura Usseglio RP adidas performance : laura.usseglio@adidas.com +33 (0) 6 08 56 34 44

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INTERVIEW WITH SARAH SOLTANE, Brand event project manager for Vittel Running or drinking —why not both? What message do you want to get across with your partnership with the Semi de Paris? Vittel is the brand of mineral water traditionally linked to this sport. Vittel has supported this great race for five years now. Water is an essential element for half marathon runners. Furthermore, Vittel bottles are 100% recyclable. Sorting waste is easy, but people do not systematically sort plastic bottles yet. This is why Vittel mineral water raises awareness of waste sorting among participants in the Semi de Paris and encourages them to engage in it. Sorting bins will be placed after each refreshment stand to retrieve the 140,000 bottles and give them a second life! A third of participants in the 2015 Half Marathon will be making their debut over the 21.1 km distance. What hydration tips can you give them? Runners who know how to hydrate themselves are runners who go far! Staying hydrated every day is important, especially when practising a sport which requires drinking before, during and after the physical effort. Drinking Vittel mineral water will keep you hydrated throughout the entire course and preserve your fitness! Vittel will hand out over 140,000 bottles along the course, at the three refreshment stands and at the finish. See you on March 8 and train hard with your sports partner Vittel!

Contact : Sarah Soltane Brand event project manager sarah.Soltane@waters.nestle.com

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THE FITBIT SEMI DE PARIS THANKS ITS SPONSORS

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2015 EDITION IN PICTURES

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ASO/P.BALLET

ASO/E.VARGIOLU

ASO/M.BOVE

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