The waiting game! Cafe workers carry loaded trays in 2km race through Paris

Waiters carry trays with a cup of coffee, a croissant and a glass of water (Christophe Ena/AP)

Waiters and waitresses have raced through Paris as a quirky 110-year-old event returned ahead of the Olympics.

The dash through the centre of the French capital celebrated the dextrous and, by their own admission, sometimes moody men and women who have made Parisian restaurants and cafes famous.