Fueled by Fine Wine OneHalf Marathon | A fine reward for running all those hills
Note: This is one of three Race Reports I wrote for the book The Runner's Bucket List: 200 Races to Run Before You Die, published in 2014.The Fueled by Fine Wine Half Marathon is all about the hills, the views and the wine.
Set in wine country of Dundee, Oregon, a small town 30 miles south of Portland, this race enticed me with the promises of beautiful scenery and a post-race party where I could sample local wines.
But I had to earn that wine. This was my second half marthon and, with a total elevation gain of 839.9 feet, it may be one of the toughest I'll ever run. Dotted with stacks of rolling hills, breathtaking views and close encounters with local vineyards and wineries, this was a challenging and beautiful way to run 13.1 miles.
The course winds through an area known as the Dundee Hills, which includes more than 1,264 acres of vineyards. About 1,200 runners stood behind the starting line at 7 a.m., and the relatively small group was intimidating. As a rookie racer I am happy to sit in the back of the pack, but I did not want to be left completely behind as I made my way through the hills.
And the hills hit us fast. Within the first few steps of the race I made my way up the first one in the small neighborhood near the starting line. I had prepared for this by training on the hills in my neighborhood and steadily pumped my way up and was quickly rewarded with a downhill through the first field of grapevines as the neighborhood gave way to the countryside. Much of the race is like this. You run up a few hills and received a quick relief of a downhill run before making your way up again.
The day before the race an organizer eased my worries and said many choose to walk and lightly jog through the course to enjoy the views. She was right. As we pushed higher in the hills the views forced me to take in the scenery. I could see vineyards, large beautiful buildings of the wineries and to the east, a clear view of Mt. Hood. The steepness and height of each hill varied. Some were gradual while others felt like I were heading up a roller coaster track.
By mile four I accepted that I was going to have a tough time later in the race if I ran up all of the hills and opted to walk some of them. And when you add in the distracting views, it's easy to let go of the competitive aspect of the race and just enjoy yourself. With such a scenic backdrop, some runners made stops midrun to take group photos in front of green vineyards and the surrounding hills. The volunteers along the course were helpful and happy to take photos.
The volunteers also provided a great service by simply being on the course, which at times felt like a remote mountain trail as it transitioned from pavement to dirt to gravel paths and winded through fields. This made the race exciting but lacked the energy spectators often bring to the sidelines. About every two miles volunteers handed me water, cheered and answered questions — mainly "How many hills left?" The answer was always, "One more."
The last leg of the race was a welcomed relief of easy downhill running. I headed into my last three miles and noticed that I was finally making my way back down the hillside. Yes! Soon after passing the last winery I saw the finish line and pumped my legs to finish strong.
After finishing, I was awarded a light blue and black medal and refueled at a food station filled with croissants, pastries and bananas.
But all I really wanted was the wine. I grabbed my keepsake glass and headed to a large white tent where runners were tasting wine from the vineyards they just raced through. Pinot noir, which is what Dundee Hills wineries are known for, dominated the selections.
The tent was packed but full of satisfied energy as people drank a variety of pinots, blushes and zinfandels and chatted about their accomplishment. I asked a vendor to fill my glass and found a shady tree to sip and savor.
