They say you can accomplish anything with the right motivation. I have no idea who “they” are, but whatever, it doesn’t matter. What matters is there’s wine. And cheese. Together. In the south of France. And if that’s not enough to make you want to run a marathon, I don’t know what is.
The Marathon du Médoc is held every September in Bordeaux, France, and it’s not your average 26.2 mile stretch of “OMG, I’m going to die” marathon. Mais non. Rather, this is 26.2 miles of “OMG, I’m going to die” paired with 23 TASTINGS OF WINE. Which, granted, may not be the ideal pairing health-wise, but hey, when in France…
[adsanity id=”35664″ align=”aligncenter”/]Seriously, though, since it’s introduction 35 years ago, no one has actually died while “running” the marathon. Fallen over in a drunken stupor, yes, but died? No. This is likely due to the fact that all participants are required to submit a medical certification in order to compete. Another requirement? To dress in costume according to the year’s theme. And 2019? Is the year of the Super Heroes.
Registration for the September 7, 2019 event has just opened and is limited to 8500 participants. The cost is approximately $100, which, according to their website, includes the following:
- many drinks supplies ;
- many grand cru tastings ;
- many music band animations ;
- many castles crossing ;
- many tasting of oysters, steak, cheese, grapes, ice cream, etc..
That’s a whole lot of “many.” Want to turn it into a weekend affair? For an additional fee, you can also register for a pasta dinner the night before the race, which includes:
Pastas as never you tasted, wines of the Médoc served by our voluntary wine stewards, a festive atmosphere where you will catch singing, dancing… UNFORGETTABLE !
As well as a farewell lunch on Sunday.
Organized on the scene of the Pasta dinner at Chateau Lerose Trintaudon, the party is reborn by magic; a gastronomic lunch served under big top for 1500 persons, a musical animation to forget your cramps of the day before, the pleasure, the conviviality… IT IS ONLY ONE GOODBYE !
The marathon itself is held in the Médoc region of Southern France, winding along country roads and through numerous vineyards, and resembles more Mardi Gras than a grueling road race.
Runners are given six and a half hours to complete the race, a full two hours longer than the average person takes to finish a normal marathon. Plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, indulge in a glass or 23 of wine, and sample the local fare. Oh, and run. A mere 26.2 miles. How hard can it be?
Really fucking hard.
[adsanity id=”35665″ align=”aligncenter”/]I went through a brief “I’m going to be a runner” phase once. I went to the Running Room and got a proper pair of running shoes. And running socks. And a running t-shirt. I also bought a book about, you guessed it, running. I was going to train for a marathon. Until I actually tried running. One twisted ankle, two aching knees, and the realization that I have the lung capacity of an ant later, and my dream was dead.
Until now.
Just in case 23 glasses of fine red wine, cheese and oysters isn’t incentive enough, perhaps the winning prize will be. The first woman and man across the finish line will win their weight in Medoc wines. Not the fastest road runner? Not to worry. “A large number of nicely dressed runners will be rewarded on the finish line by a case of a Medoc wine.”
[adsanity id=”35666″ align=”aligncenter”/]For all you wannabe marathon runners out there, there are 171 days to go until race day. With nearly two dozen glasses of wine to consume in approximately 6 hours, you may want to start your training now. Oh, and maybe throw in a bit of actual running while you’re at it.