Medoc Marathon
Bordeaux, France
http://www.marathondumedoc.com/
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Wine, oysters and running. Right up my alley.
Years ago I read about the Medoc Marathon in a British newspaper, and the reporter indulged so that he had to poop out at about mile 16.
Indulged in wine so.
Taking a decidedly Gallic approach to running, the Medoc Marathon route winds through dozens of vineyards in the Medoc/Bordeaux region of France. And, bien sur, the vineyards generously provide wine to the thirsty runners along the way, just what the throat is screaming for in the September French heat.
As you can imagine, the training regime for this marathon was great on the legs and a mild strain on the liver.
The spectators at the Medoc Marathon are cheery(wine in glass, glass to mouth), plentiful and encouraging with the little kids putting out their hands so that you'll low five them as you run by. The wine is lined up along lengthy tables in dixie cups, and as you approach the final five kilometers, there are food stations of shucked oysters, entrecote steak and hunks of fromage. Your guts won't know what's hitting them at km 40! No one's here for a fast time so runners hang out around the tables stuffing themselves as much as their body will allow them. 
The route is slow and hilly, and rather warm as the race doesn't start until 9am. How civilized. Slightly less civilized is the tradition of everyone dressing up for the run. Imagine trotting along dressed as a chicken for 26 miles. The novelty wears off quickly.
Fittingly, as you cross the finish line you're handed a bottle of Bordeaux.
Don't come for a fast time, but do come for the overall fun factor and quirkiness. This is running as it should be! And then spend a few days in the region who is warm and charming.
It was tough booking a hotel near the race start so we ended up staying about an hour away but that worked out finely. Don't leave the hotel til the last minute.
February 2008
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