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<\/div>\nWherever I travel in the world for work, my running shoes always come with me \u2013\u00a0because there\u2019s no better way to get to know the local terroir<\/em> than doing it on your own two feet. I\u2019ve traversed the peat bogs of Islay and navigated the vineyards of Franschhoek, Chianti, and the Rhone; scaled the hills of the Douro, followed the River Spey through Speyside and descended the chalky slopes of Champagne.<\/p>\n My times aren\u2019t anything to write home about \u2013\u00a0I\u2019m dogged rather than fleet. But there are plenty of other runners in the worlds of spirits and wine who are properly elite.<\/p>\n One of the most decorated ultra-runners of all time, Fran\u00e7ois D\u2019Haene, was, until just a few years ago, a winemaker on the side. He and his wife had a winery in Beaujolais, Domaine du Germain, which made pretty decent Gamay. (As if that weren\u2019t enough he\u2019s also a qualified physiotherapist and a father of three). A four-time winner of the 100-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, and a former record holder for the Hardrock 100, D\u2019Haene gave up the wine business in 2021, and now lives in another famous French wine region, the Savoie, where he trains and runs Ultra Spirit<\/a>, a unique three-day, 62 miles ultra race which includes tastings of the local food and drink (including his family\u2019s wine).<\/p>\n Tristan Stephenson<\/a>, the master blender for Guy Ritchie\u2019s new English whisky, Rosemaund<\/a>, has form in running, too \u2013 he came third in the notorious Dragon\u2019s Back Race, a six-day, 236-mile race through the Welsh mountains that\u2019s considered one of the toughest ultras in the world.<\/p>\n\n <\/p><\/a>\n A post shared by Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon (@napa2sonomahalf)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cPeople often think that training hard and being in the alcohol industry are incompatible,\u201d says Stephenson. \u201cAnd it\u2019s true that drinking is not going to actively improve<\/em> your performance. But for me it\u2019s about living like to the fullest \u2013 it\u2019s about great food and great drink, great travel, great company, great friendships, spending time with your family, and exploring the limits.\u201d<\/p>\n Beer also has its own running culture, and many breweries have running clubs. The club founded by Danish brewer Mikkeller<\/a> now boasts 200 chapters in 40 countries round the world. All are free, meet weekly and, naturally, often finish with a pint. Mikkeller co-founder Mikkel Borg Bjergs\u00f8 is a keen runner and was an elite athlete for a time. \u201cIt means that when I travel, I always have someone to run with,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a really great way to meet people and a good way to see cities if you run with the locals. I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps the most famous of the wine region marathons is the Marathon du Medoc<\/a>, which has been held in Bordeaux every September since 1985. Attracting over 8,000 entrants, it\u2019s a riotous affair featuring live bands, fancy dress, food stands, and wine stops almost every mile. \u00a0<\/p>\n One exuberant participant in the Medoc Marathon last year was Tom Gilbey, a British wine merchant-turned-influencer who shot to fame after a video of him blind-tasting wines every mile during the 2024 London<\/a> Marathon went viral on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Medoc Marathon is just one amazing party,\u201d says Gilbey. \u201cAnd what\u2019s more they\u2019re putting out really good wine. Lynch-Bages were serving actual Echo de Lynch-Bages; Pichon (Baron) were putting out Riedel glasses of Les Griffons which is a really lovely wine. And it takes you through some wonderful parts of the M\u00e9doc, from the quaint little bits of St Julien right up to the hot, quite barren vineyards of Saint-Est\u00e8phe.<\/p>\n \u201cI said: I\u2019m going to drink everything that\u2019s offered on the course,\u2019 he recalls, \u201cbut I didn\u2019t realise there was going to be a rogue pastis stand and a pop-up beer tent as well. And it was 87\u00b0<\/strong>F. I did it in five hours and 48 seconds, so it wasn\u2019t the quickest time \u2013 I don\u2019t know how I did it.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s actually considered \u201crather bad form\u201d, he says, to run the race too fast, as this suggests that you\u2019re not taking full advantage of all the refreshments on offer. \u201cThere\u2019s steak, oysters, fruit cake, croissant, as well as all the wine. And no water at all until at least kilometre number five \u2013 the whole thing is very French.\u201d<\/p>\n The Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon<\/a> in July offers some of the most scenic running in the States. In England, meanwhile, the Bacchus Half<\/a> (which also includes a 6 mile run) in September is a fun romp through the vineyards of Surrey, south England, at one of the loveliest times of year. \u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re more into exploring whisky country, then consider the Dramathon<\/a>, a trail run through Speyside that takes in some of the region\u2019s most famous distilleries including Aberlour, Glenfarclas, Tamdhu, Balvenie, and Glendfiddich. There are four races to choose from including a 6 miles, a half and a full-length marathon that can either be completed solo or as a relay team.<\/p>\n\n
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