The Paris Stiletto Race

They say, ‘Paris is a city of lovers’; let no lover ever doubt that women are not shoe addicts.

They also say that heaven is underneath a mother’s feet. And as Pakistani comedian Munawar Zareef taunted in a movie, “Mother, you don’t even have slippers under your feet, how can you have heaven under them?”

Recently shoe-loving women took part in the National Stiletto Championship on an indoor track in the old stock exchange building in central Paris.

The rules of the new game were not many—in fact, there was only one: each contestant was required to wear heels at least eight centimetres (three inches) high.

The race itself was a simple affair: a three-part relay over 180 metres (yards), won by three young Parisian women who called themselves ‘Les Cocottes Codec’ or ‘The Darling Chicks.

Ninety-six finalists came from all over France to participate in the glamorous challenge, after participating in a series of regional races.

"Walking on heels is no piece of cake. We came up with the idea just two years ago, and this year 400 candidates signed up for the regional races," said Caroline Gentien, who works for the online shoe-sale site that came up with the idea, Sarenza.com.

And the prizes would make George W. (warmonger) Bush so happy: shoes worth 3,000 Euros.

Nearly five hundred supporters turned up at the race and, appropriately, the building was lit up with pink lights for the occasion to welcome thirty-two teams.

The trio, formed by two Londoners and an Australian, who called themselves "Let's get 'em", secured second place; they all currently study at a French university. "Girls with ballet tutus" secured the third position and they wore ballet tutus to match their team name—how women love matching accessories!

Winners of the 2008 edition were a TV journalist, a psychologist, and a lawyer competing under team name "Talk To My Foot (Parle A Mon Pied)".

"We all love shoes and we love having fun," said journalist Dorothee Kristy, 29. "The only training we do is running to catch a train or a bus every day."

Also taking part in the event was stiletto school "Talons Academy", a private business that doles out tips on how to walk in heels without hurting one's back or one's ankles.

"A lot of women love high heels but don't dare wear them," said school founder Marine Aubonnet. "Or else they cheat. They go to a rendezvous in flat shoes and put their stilettos on at the last minute. It's true that it is harder to find your balance on heels."

The trick for the contestants, she said, was "mastering the half-turn. Turning is a key; you have to get it right for each foot. Stilettos is all about technique."