Waiters, waitresses race through Paris in a return of a 110-year tradition to promote Summer Olympics
The race attracted around 200 participants, who were judged based on both their time and how much liquid they spilled during the race
The streets of Paris welcomed the return of a 110-year-old event in order to promote the upcoming Olympics.
As a result visitors and locals alike were able to witness waiters and waitresses racing through the streets of the French capital for the first time in 13 years, Sky News reported on 27 March.
The participants were required to balance a tray with a croissant, an empty coffee cup and a glass of water - while in uniform - as they raced along the 2km route along the streets of the Marais district.
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The race attracted around 200 participants, who were judged based on both their time and how much liquid they spilled during the race.
Pauline Van Wymeersch and Samy Lamrous were crowned Paris' fastest waitress and waiter.
Ms Van Wymeersch, the runaway winner in the women's category in 14 minutes and 12 seconds, works at the Le Petit Pont cafe and restaurant facing the Notre Dame cathedral.
She started waitering aged 16, and is now 34. She said she cannot envisage any other life for herself.
She added, "I love it as much as I hate it. It's in my skin. I cannot leave it, It's hard. It's exhausting. It's demanding. It's 12 hours per day. It's no weekends. It's no Christmases.
"It's part of my DNA. I grew up in a way with a tray in my hand. I have been shaped, in life and in the job, by the bosses who trained me and the customers, all of the people I have met."
Mr Lamrous, who won the men's race in a time of 13 minutes and 30 seconds, works at La Contrescarpe in Paris' 5th district.
The two were rewarded with medals, two tickets each for the Olympic opening ceremony and a night out at a Paris hotel.
The capital's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, said cafes and restaurants are "really the soul of Paris".
She added: "The bistro is where we go to meet people, where we go for our little coffee, our little drink, where we also go to argue, to love and embrace each other.
"The cafe and the bistro are life."
The race last took place in 2011 but stopped due to the lack of a sponsor. However, similar races have taken place in French towns and cities, such as Marseille, and other countries like Spain, since then.
