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Credit: Alex Layton
(Image credit: Alex Layton)

England’s answer to the Médoc Marathon is tackled by a team from the UK trade including Decanter

On Sunday 8 September, a group of 30 runners from the wine trade, including Decanter staff and contributors, took part in this year’s Bacchus Half Marathon. The teams all tackled this challenging and (surprisingly) hilly course through the North Downs in aid of The Benevolent charity.

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Alex Layton, Cesar Soler and Bella Callaghan from Decanter all took on The Bacchus Half
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

The course starts and finishes at Denbies Wine Estate, near Dorking, Surrey with half of the course running through the hilly vineyards and estate. The other half covers National Trust countryside and woodlands along the Pilgrims and North Downs Way.

Similar to the Médoc Marathon, the course provided numerous refreshment opportunities, which naturally included wine stops to sample a selection of different wines from Denbies.

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Runners indulging in cheese and crackers paired with Denbies Flint Valley
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Wines that were tasted along the way included;

  • Ikon of London
  • Whitedowns Brut
  • Flint Valley
  • Surrey Gold
  • Rose Hill
  • Redlands
  • Sparkling Bacchus

Live bands at each stop also contributed to a festival-feel along the 13.1 mile course. Fancy dress is also heavily encouraged with numerous creative costumes including superheroes, roman soldiers and a certain Peter Richards MW impressively running in a full Egyptian king outfit.

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Bacchus runners enjoying the Denbies vineyard views
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Some very impressive times came in including Susie Barrie MW who came 23rd and was the 4th fastest female.

Commenting on the race and fundraising support for The Benevolent, Peter Richards MW said, “Susie and I are so proud of all our team, each of whom took on a significant personal challenge to support the excellent work of The Benevolent. This was a fun day but with a serious purpose. Huge thanks to everyone who ran or who came along on the day. We are very grateful for, and appreciative of all the wonderful support. This kind of supportive, collaborative, constructive spirit is exactly what the Benevolent, and #NotAlone campaign is all about.”

Donations are still being collected and can be made via the team justgiving page.

Alex Layton
Alex Layton
Freelance writer

Alex Layton is head of brand & digital marketing at WSET and former head of marketing at Decanter, where he led marketing across the brand, including Decanter Premium, the Decanter World Wine Awards and its global Fine Wine Encounter events programme. He has over 15 years’ experience in the drinks industry, leading global campaigns for wine and spirits brands and regions, including Wines of Rioja, the Cognac Bureau and Yalumba / Hill-Smith Family Estates. He works across wine and spirits, with a growing focus on North American whiskey. He holds an MBA from the University of Exeter Business School and is currently completing the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines.