13th September 2015, Southern France Bordeaux, Drink Wine and Run. This was the information that caught my eye when I signed up for the 30th Anniversary Race for Marathon Du Medoc. This race covers 21 chateaux of vineyards and winery. If this itself is not a draw, at the 38km mark you will be greeted with freshly shucked oysters and further down, the legendary Entrecote Beef!
The Preparation
Joining a French race, one must actually go through a medical test and get a local doctor to certify that you are fit for a 42.195km grueling run before you can participate in the race. Cost of the race is about 120 Euro. This adds in the ten km walk on the second day, where you get to taste more wines and also have a recovery session. The lunch was also the highlight, comprising of a 3 course meal which features an appetizer, a main course of either beef or other meats, and a traditional dessert.
If you are here to get your personal best, then I suggest that you not waste your time. This race is meant to be enjoyed for fun, wine, food and dressing up. In fact, you will not be allowed to participate in the race if you are not fancifully dressed to the theme of the year! It was the only race I had been so far where there were no 2 Compression wear, famous names like Addidas, Nike but a lot of crazy men in spandex, bikinis, a lot of leotards and colour. Many of the attire were make shifts and some even get together to make a float and run together. Last year, the theme was Celebrations around the world.
Being a solo runner, I went up to the forum and managed to find a gang of 3 comprising of Americans and Australian. They actually had another companion but last minute she could not make it, so there were looking for one more participant to help chip in the fare. I was lucky to have found them as I did not drive and from Bordeaux to the race venue is very far, as Singaporeans, we tend to forget the problem about distance as everything is so near and convenient. I am glad that I found these folks and they companied me through the trip and also helped me in the translation.
The Race
We make our way to the start line. It was so pack that many have to park in the vineyards. We could already see many of the participants dressed up in their fancy dresses making their way to the start point. It is really great to see all the spontaneity.
This year there were more than 10 thousand participants making it one of the most subscribed year for the race. Besides the fun and glamour dressing up to the theme, I must say the highlight is being able to drink and run at the same time. Many of my friends were skeptical about my abilities to be able to drink and run a full marathon. But I guess spreading out the drinking portion in the race is good, so we basically drink and only get to drink again at another 5-8 km away, by then, due to the dry weather in France, all the alcohol would have been evaporated from the body. Besides their sample volume is very little and not the usual full glass, so unless you want to get drunk, most runners will be able to gauge their ability and continue the race till the end.
Besides drinking wine, the race also feeds you well with oysters at 38km mark, these are freshly shucked French oysters with Champagne to pair up. The best part is the oysters are unlimited! So as long as you can eat, they let you eat as many as you want. Further down the road, fresh Entrecote Beef was served towards the 40th km. Near the end of the race, there is even a make up station to make sure you are well prepared for the ending photographs.
The Perks
So as a finisher, you get a Finisher Medal, a bottle of wine from the Medoc Region. A pair of Ridel wine glasses, all these are packed in a nice sack for your to carry all these items back to your residence. Of course there are more food and alcohol at the end of the race. But having ate and drank for almost 5-6 hours, most of the participants just need a good shower and call it a day with some cold cider.
The good thing about the race is they have real bath rooms with hot water and shower gels at the end. I am not saying like mass showering facilities but serious compartmentalised showering facilities !! And there was ample space for you to put all your items while you are showering.
The Aftermath
The village of good food after the walk for the second day
One thing about Marathon Du Medoc, it is more like a festival than a race. Usually for races, participants finish the race and never see each other again or do not even bother to stay another day or two just to enjoy the scenery and also visit the wineries. But for this race, they actually organise a recovery walk ( with more wines). The walk is about 10 km through the vineyards. If you are keen, you can also opt for a scrumptious 3 course lunch featuring some nice French cuisine at the designated vine yard. There is something about the French, they just like to have good food and wine and spend time talking and chilling out. Which I think is one of the activity lacking of in Singapore or ASEAN races.
My outfit for the day .. Running in these was challenging and with make up
We stayed at Hourtin, it was about an hour away from the start point. The start was at Paulliac, but it was all fully booked by then. Further more it does not have a pool like this one 🙂
The race starts and ends at the same place and it was colourful with many stalls , alcohol and food!
More wine tasting on the second day!
This is the wine tasting scoop which was given by the organiser
Finisher’s entitlement , and all the ladies got to walk away with a stalk of rose too!
In conclusion, if you are a lover for wines, and have some money to spare, do give this marathon a try. I must say it is an experience not to be missed and also a rare opportunity to get to know the Wines of Bordeaux better.