Marathon de Medoc 2011 race report

Trois … deux … une … parti!

The directions are clear.  I’ve done this a few times before.  There’s no question what we’re supposed to right now but the gathered crowd can’t be bothered.  It’s a dance party with 7000 like minded people from all over the world dressed up as animals ready to drink some really good wine.  It’s also the starting line of a marathon.  The Marathon du Medoc is one of the most unique and amazing running experiences I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing.  Put this one on your bucket list. 

On the way to the starting line ...

When my friend Nico told me about this peciular race in the SW of France I was beyond belief.  22 wine stops on a rolling course through, literally through, vineyards and some absolutely amazing wine Chateaus.  Oysters, cheese, bbq, popsicles, dance floors.  It says right on the ad for the race ‘don’t run if you are not dressed up’.

We arrived to race fairly early and I quickly realized how hard it is to put body paint well.  Nunchucks, bandanas, shells.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles it was.  The walk to the start felt like a Halloween party.  There was hardly a point to putting my camera away.  A group of bees here, Power rangers there, people dressed as cows everywhere.  French jets screamed overhead as runners teemed in the starting line.  Dancing, taking pictures, doing everything but paying attention to their watches.

Hamming it up as the starting gun goes off

After the gun went off cheers surged up and down through the peloton like the ‘wave’ you might have watching a baseball game.  Groups of people were singing and every other person was running with a camera.  The first wine stop came.  Yummm.  How hard can this be?

Ok my bandana eye cover didn't work out very well at all.  The Avatar costume is amazing though

The mens room, note the Frenchman on the right running with a baguette in hand.  He was running in a group of a dozen.

Turtles on the left, chickens on the right

Chateau in the Bordeaux countryside

An aid station at the Marathon de Medoc

The course wandered country roads, through vineyards, around and finally through the courtyards of truly magnificent Chateaus.  In the courtyards the race would slow to a crawl.  Groups of butterflies would peel off to the right to await a lost companion.  On the left the sheep were missing a few as well.  The giant giraffe being pushed on four wheels was being worked on the by the chief mechanic/zoo keeper.  Runners lined up and down the Aid Station table for a taste of the fantastic wine.   It was like a huge roaming party, 26 miles long.   

Traffic diversion as the giraffe gets worked on

The wine was not without its deleterious effects however.  The sun had come out and the day warmed up to somewhere 85-ish.  The remnants of partial costume failures lined the course.  

My shell fell apart at km 20.  What's a turtle to do?

One could easily make a nice Chimera by picking up discards.  An everchanging costume of sorts.

How sweet is this course?

The roaming party enters the next Chateau.  This course is very spectator friendly, many people followed along on mountain bikes.

The roaming zoo, note the Panda inside.

The pot brigade cheers along the runners.  Thanks for the motivation!

I wasn’t drunk.  I didn’t feel tired, but I was running into the hashing wall.  I focused on a nice mix of water and wine and finally gained the final straightaway along the Rhone that would lead us back to town and unlimited beer and wine in the finishers tent.  In the last 3 miles the aid stations stacked up.  Wine, oysters, wine, wine, cheese, wine, bbq and dance floor blasting Michael Jackson, wine, popsicles, wine.  

A dance floor at mile 25?  The guy on the left is killing it.

Finally the finish line arrived.  The volunteers promptly handed us, you guessed it, a bottle of wine.  A proud anti-PR.  Did I mention about the free and bottomless beer afterwards?