England’s answer to the Médoc Marathon is tackled by a team from the UK trade including Decanter
On Sunday 8 September, a group of 30 runners from the wine trade, including Decanter staff and contributors, took part in this year’s Bacchus Half Marathon. The teams all tackled this challenging and (surprisingly) hilly course through the North Downs in aid of The Benevolent charity.
Runners from Decanter included DWWA Regional Chair and regular contributor Peter Richards MW, regular contributor Susie Barrie MW plus staff members Alex Layton, Bella Callaghan and Cesar Soler.
Alex Layton, Cesar Soler and Bella Callaghan from Decanter all took on The Bacchus Half
The course starts and finishes at Denbies Wine Estate, near Dorking, Surrey with half of the course running through the hilly vineyards and estate. The other half covers National Trust countryside and woodlands along the Pilgrims and North Downs Way.
Similar to the Médoc Marathon, the course provided numerous refreshment opportunities, which naturally included wine stops to sample a selection of different wines from Denbies.
Runners indulging in cheese and crackers paired with Denbies Flint Valley
Wines that were tasted along the way included;
- Ikon of London
- Whitedowns Brut
- Flint Valley
- Surrey Gold
- Rose Hill
- Redlands
- Sparkling Bacchus
Live bands at each stop also contributed to a festival-feel along the 13.1 mile course. Fancy dress is also heavily encouraged with numerous creative costumes including superheroes, roman soldiers and a certain Peter Richards MW impressively running in a full Egyptian king outfit.
Bacchus runners enjoying the Denbies vineyard views
Some very impressive times came in including Susie Barrie MW who came 23rd and was the 4th fastest female.
Commenting on the race and fundraising support for The Benevolent, Peter Richards MW said, “Susie and I are so proud of all our team, each of whom took on a significant personal challenge to support the excellent work of The Benevolent. This was a fun day but with a serious purpose. Huge thanks to everyone who ran or who came along on the day. We are very grateful for, and appreciative of all the wonderful support. This kind of supportive, collaborative, constructive spirit is exactly what the Benevolent, and #NotAlone campaign is all about.”
Donations are still being collected and can be made via the team justgiving page.
