Longest distance travelled (#3), Open

There were 26 ballooning events at the 1900 Paris Exposition, which were more properly termed exhibitions. They were mixed, with both men and women participating. The events all took place starting at the Aérostation, at the Parc de Vincennes, in Paris.

There were four balloon events decided by greatest distance travelled: one open (this event), two with handicap, and one termed a second degree event, which was only open to prize winners in the first three events. This non-handicap event was won by Henry, Count de la Vaulx, who competed in 19 balloon events at the 1900 Paris Exposition and won six of them, including the all-around competition, the Grand Prix de l’aéronautique, and three of the four distance travelled events. For this win, he received a gilded plaque valued at 500 francs.

Count de la Vaulx was considered the pioneer of aeronautics in France, and was a co-founder of the Aero Club de France in 1898. Later in October 1900, in the second degree event, he and Georges Castillon de Saint-Victor set a distance record for most distance travelled by balloon, covering just over 1,925 km (1,195 miles) from Vincennes to Korostychev, near Kyiv, Ukraine, in 35¾ hours. He was given the Grand Medal of the Aero Club de France for his contributions to aviation and, in 1905, Count de la Vaulx co-founded and became a director of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).