Kicker: Speed walking with flair

AUDIO: [(Countdown in French) Trois, deux, un…]

NICK EICHER, HOST: Yes, it’s Paris. No, it’s not the Olympics.

It’s a footrace, as much about balance as it is about speed. The goal is to get a flaky French croissant, a coffee cup, and a glass of water on a server tray from Point A to Point B a mile and a quarter away.

The historic Bistro Waiters’ Race, a tradition going back to 1914.

The Mayor of Paris says the race celebrates the Bistro lifestyle.

AUDIO: (TRANSLATED) It's a place where we live, where we come for work, study, meet people, love or argue. We really want to show our Parisian way of life to the world.

The city’s preparing to host the summer games, and the restaurants likewise are getting ready for more than a million visitors.

The best times were about half the pace of world record speed walking, but the speed walkers didn’t have to worry about spilling.

Bon travail!

It’s The World and Everything in It.

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