The Marathon du Médoc is a French marathon race that is held every year in September through the vineyards in the Gironde. It is often called "the longest Marathon in the world" because the idea of the race is not to finish the first but to have the most fun. It is interspersed with many activities: musical breaks with 50 orchestras located around the course, wine and oysters, and stakes tastings. The Marathon du Médoc attracts around 10,000 participants from more than 50 countries.
The scenic 42-km course lies through iconic vineyards. It crosses Chateaux of Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe, Médoc, and Haut-Médoc. 90% of marathon runners run in costumes and 90% of the participants run in funny costumes. An average runner is expected to indulge in 23 glasses of the famed wine while also trying all delicious local specialties: foie gras, cheese, and ice-cream. Food and wine stops are quite often with biscuits, waffles, fruit, sweets, bread, crackers. Everything is so delicious that it's impossible to resist. Not to mention pleasant music and other entertainment. No wonder many finishers hardly manage to complete it in 6.5 hours.
