Hi Folks! Nicki doesn’t have internet, and I didn’t until now (six days!!! I was practically in withdrawal), but I’m happy to report that we all completed the medoc marathon and had a great time. In short, the whole thing was completely ridiculous! Once I get my pictures up on flickr (in process), you’ll see what we mean. Nicki, Mike B., and myself brought up the rear with a time of 6:24. We made the cut-off of 6:30 so as to get our bottle of wine and medal, and to our surprise, a medoc duffle bag, a rose for the ladies, and a Medoc rain poncho (which many used the next day on the 9km wine tasting recovery walk as it poured for part of it). Lots of stories which I’m sure we’ll be sharing on return. Cheers, Jess
How it all went down (Nicki’s version):
We had 11 runners on race day - which is a story in itself but we’ll save that for another time - 7 PRR and 4 others plus one Japanese girl who happened to be staying at the same hotel.
Timewise everyone had a personal worst but just about everyone agreed that the experience was unparalleled in the running world.
Janet 3:50 - can’t drink while running poor thing
Monique 4:45
Rick 4:50
Bonnie & Cindy 5:20
Len 6:09
Mike S & Fumiko 6:23
Mike B, Jess, Nicki 6:24
Definitely more fun to run with a friend because in this race you have to discuss tanins and whether 1999 was in fact a good year in Bordeaux. Plus it helps to have moral support when you’re strolling up a hill and 2 of The Beatles start heckling les Canadiens for not running. Those damned Beatles spent so much time at the wine stops - I swear they passed us 6 times. And yes we were walking each time. Damn our easily recognizable costumes. Allez les canadiens.
I’d not only recommend this race - I plan to run it again. Well I plan to run half of it. From 20k on it’s party time (that’s where they start using real glass wine glasses - it’s the good stuff).
Au revoir mes amis. A bientot.
Jess’s Flickr link
http://www.flickr.
Nicki’s Flickr link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30692653@N03/sets/72157607400499125/
September 8th, 2008 at 4:46 pm can’t wait to see the pics. Hope you’re having a fantastic time! TTFN, C
September 9th, 2008 at 3:51 pm Looked good to me. Formidable! You were all resplendant in your Mountie costumes. Bet you were noticed. Look forward to the stories on return.
September 10th, 2008 at 10:40 am Now I`m on the net! Even the keyboards are different in France. My advice to everyone: Do this race. Train for a Half. Walk the rest. Take lots of pictures. Bring your own toilet paper. The French know how to throw a party but they still have a lot to learn about porta potties (only one on the whole course and not a roll of TP in site). And above all, do the recovery walk. Because 10:00 am is exactly the right time to start drinking.