Le Marathon des Châteaux du Médoc
Explore, Drink, and Exercise!
By the title you may have already thought this was too good to be true. Exploring and drinking while you’re traveling in France is a pretty standard combination of activities. Sometimes, as a university student studying abroad, drinking can take precedent over the exploring aspect! But regardless of whether you are an international exchange student, a backpacker traveling France, or even a local living in the country, it is very difficult to put exercise in the same sentence as exploring and drinking. Luckily for you, this ultimate travel tip might just be your best discovery in France.
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| Costumes are encouraged, and the 2019 Médoc Marathon was superhero themed! |
42km of French Terrain, 23 Vineyards
Le Marathon des Châteaux du Médoc, or for those English speakers, the Médoc Marathon is a very unique experience for anyone who enjoys some good old fashion running and their daily happy hour glass of wine. The event takes place over the course of a weekend every year on the second weekend of September. The main race is ~42km and is restricted to runners only. If you plan on walking, there is a Recovery ballad (9-10km) that is organized on the Sunday. Each runner will be allowed 6.5 hours to complete the race, which should give enough more than enough time to enjoy all there is to offer at the 23 different vineyards along the way. Participants get to enjoy several different organized tents such as:- Many supplied drinks
- Many grand cru tastings
- Many live music concerts
- Many castle crossings
- Many tastings of oysters, steak, cheese, grapes, ice cream, etc.
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| Sometimes the costumes get pretty interesting! |
The 2020 Médoc Marathon
Just below we have included a detailed breakdown of the weekend for this upcoming 2020 Médoc Marathon for those that are interested in knowing more:Friday, September 11th 2020
- 10:00 am to 11:00 pm: Distribution of participant’s number and Marathon Expo at the COSEC in Pauillac
- 3.30 pm: Medical and Sports Seminar at Tourism office, free and open to all runners.
- 6:30 pm: Pasta-Party in a Chateau in Pauillac. Bookings limited to 1450 people. Registration voucher is to be presented on entrance. Diner served at 8.00 pm (booking in your runner account).
- 7:00 pm: “Pâtes-à-Caisse” meal in the Saint Estèphe festival hall.
Saturday, September 12th 2020 – “Cinema” will be the 2020 Médoc Marathon Theme
- 8:00 am to 9:15 am: Show of fancy-dressed runners
- 9:00 am: Departure of the advertising caravan
- 9:15 am: Pre-Race show and entertainment.
- 9:30 am: Start of the Marathon
- 9:30 am: to 11:30 am River bank happenings, Basque Strength Games
- 4:00 pm: Awards Ceremony in Pauillac
- 7:00 pm: Restaurant-Reception VIP-Press
- 7:00 pm: Village hall of St Estephe, tasting of St Estephe’s wines followed by a diner. Information and reservation with St Estephe’s wines house : +33 556 59 30 59 or mv-se@wanadoo.fr
- 9:00 pm: Free show of Tropica
- 10:30 pm: Fireworks display
Sunday, September 13th 2020
- 10:00 am: Relaxing walk in vineyards of Pauillac for runners and their friends. Registration limited to 4000 people.
- 12:30 am: Lunch under a marquee after the walk, with booking confirmation voucher only, in a Chateau in Pauillac.
- 12:30 am: Rural lunch without booking confirmation for the other walkers.
We hope some of you manage to sneak this unique experience into your next travel to France or during your time studying abroad! If you need help getting to the event, check out our post on getting around France.
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| 2019's advertisement, look at all their sponsors! |
Le Marathon des Châteaux du Médoc Homepage.
At Le French Baroudeur we provide quality content for our readers that is Honest, Informative, and Entertaining. We aim to provide the best travel tips and travel guides for people looking to discover, explore, and live in France. Whether you are a university exchange student studying abroad or just someone looking to visit France, we are the blog for you. Our team of travel bloggers is dedicated to giving you the best information and tips based on our personal experiences and insights from others!
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