Running the Marathon du Médoc 2009
The annual Marathon du Médoc is always on the second Saturday of September about 10-12 days before the harvest begins. So as all the picking and triage machinery is brought out and washed down, chaos descends on the normally sleepy town of Pauillac. 6,000 runners with friends and family from all over the world arrive – the roads are packed, the hotels full and the restaurants booming.
I have run the marathon here 5 times before and its quite an unique event that keeps me coming back for more. Usually done in fancy dress, this years theme is the Circus so I am running as a clown. I have done it previously as a bunch of grapes; running 26 miles as a bunch of grapes is not easy.
The tagline for the event is ‘le plus long marathon du monde’. This relates to the inability to run in a straight line after all the wine that can be consumed during the mornings run. The usual water and lucozade stops in any other marathon are replaced with wines of the various châteaux that you pass through; 38 in total. Of course there is water for the more serious runners but seriousness is not what this is about, it’s a fun marathon with a great camaraderie and a host of very inventive costumes. It’s a huge wine tasting for sporty people.
This year I was running with Gearoid Devaney from the slick private sommelierie outfit Sarment and an old friend Emmanuel Trouvée. We were guests of Christian Seely and Château Pichon-Longueville who were hosting this year pre-marthon pasta party; a huge event for 1,500 runners. Dinner consisted of three pasta courses (great carbohydrate loading) served with La Tour Pibran 2007, Pibran 2000 and Pichon-Longueville 1998. Myself and Gearoid were asked to speak about these wines in front of the mass of braying and whooping Médocians; but that was fine as they paid little attention to the English and Irishman telling them about wines that they helped cultivate, vinify and bottle! It was a fun night.
The next morning with slightly fuzzy heads but a serious athletes commitment we lined up on the quai in Pauillac awaiting the countdown to start. There are less extreme was to get to know the Médoc but this teaches you very quickly – south out of Pauilac, past Lynch-Bages and the two Pichons, through the vineyards of Latour (I cant believe people are stopping to pee on this great terroir!) and across the border into St Julian. It’s about 5km into the 42km run. Down past Léoville and Langoa-Barton (remember to shake Anthony’s hand; he’s always sat outside) to Beychevelle, Gloria and St Pierre, through Ducru-Beaucaillou and then turn west skirting the vineyards of Gruaud-Larose. Through Lagrange and back into Pauillac. 16km in. The weather is perfect, slightly overcast with a cool breeze blowing off the Gironde. Now we run up through Artigues and past the Forts de Latour vineyards and Larose-Trintadon. Then through the Bages Village next to Lynch-Bages. It’s 21km and halfway point. Gearoid (a fast runner) is about 10 minutes ahead of me and Emmanuel (a slow runner) about 20 minutes behind. I am happy because this is my favourite part. Past Pibran and Pontet-Canet and through Mouton-Rothschild, over the ridge and into Lafite-Rothschild. I keep up my usual tradition and have my first taste of wine., they claim it is ‘zee Grand Vin’ but I suspect it is Duhart-Milon. Out of Lafite and across the jaille into St Estèphe. Up the hill and to Cos d’Estournel. 28km. This is the fun part over – my legs are hurting and energy levels diving and we have a further 14km of quite rustic and simple landscape to go. Time for the iPod.
It’s a tough run through St Estèphe and after passing Phélan-Ségur and Montrose we hit the Gironde again at 38km. Now it’s difficult my legs feel like concrete, the sun is high in the sky, the cheering crowds have gone and spirits are low. But then we see another unique Médoc Marathon tradition, oyster stall with white wine. Normally the thought of eating oyster while running would be disgusting, but on the banks of the Gironde surrounded by sweaty clowns it doesn’t seem so odd. So after a couple of wonderful oysters from Arcachon and a glass of cold Mouton-Cadet blanc (that incidently, at that moment in time, tastes like the finest Montrachet Dominic Lafon ever produced) I am hobbling again.
Chargrilled entrecote and cheese are bypassed as I regret the oysters and finally I am on the last stretch. The final km drags as barbequing camper-van owners smoke Gitanes and shout ‘Allez, allez!’. Hitting the red carpet and the last 50 metres bring me in with a time of 4 hours and 50 minutes.
Gearoid is there grinning, happy with his 4 hours and 18 minutes and Emmanuel finally plods in at 6 hours. We get a medal, t-shirt, bottle of wine with a carafe and the next day – very, very sore legs. The pain is somewhat eased with magnums of 2000 Pichon-Longueville and Pibran served with dinner.
I will be back for more of this pain relief at the same time next year.
