The St Clair Vineyard Half Marathon Race Review
My girlfriend and I celebrating at the end of the race
Two weeks after my race through the Nevada Desert into Las Vegas, I am back running again, this time in the heart of New Zealand's Wine country. The Marlborough Wine Region in the top of the Southern Island of New Zealand accounts for 80% of the wine the country produces. It is also home to an array of gourmet delights including cheeses, ice cream and chocolate manufacturers coming together for a weekend in May to allow 4000 runners to run through their vineyards for the St Clair Vineyard Half Marathon.
Race Expo and Registration
Registration is open until 9.30pm the Friday night before the race, so there is plenty of time to gather your race kit and wander the central market being held at the same time. Registration is easy to get through but due to the smaller nature of this race, there are limited stalls relating to running and more to food and produce.
Race Location and Course
The Marlborough region of New Zealand is services by a small airport with flights in and out every day. It's not a major airport, so flights are only direct from major cities in New Zealand, and the limited number of flights can make it a little expensive to fly in. Besides that, the region is picturesque and beautiful with May bringing the vineyards into Autumn and turning the leaves red and brown. The course start and finish is at the St Clair Vineyard and does a 21.1km loop through a number of surrounding vineyards and local roads. The course is flat but as it runs through the middle of the vineyards the grass underfoot can be a little slow at points.
Transportation, Extras and Finish Line
The event organisers provide a bus service from the centre of Blenheim to the start and also provide car parks for a small $5 fee. The race is limited to 4000 entrants across the Run, Run/Walk and Walk categories and is in place to ensure the sustainability of the event.
If you are taking a more relaxed approach to the event, there are tasting areas during the race to provide runners with a sample of some of the local produce. But don't worry, there are still enough people with their game face on, if you are here to set a personal best for a half marathon.
If you don't get a chance to sample some of the produce out on course, the start/finish line is stacked with local producers ready to sell their wares to you and makes the post race a major highlight of the race. You can also stock up on some good specials from Thermatech and Salomon.
Running the Race
It is Autumn so it can be a little cooler in this part of New Zealand, but fortunately for this years race, the rain held off and it was an enjoyable run. The wind was a little cool, but once you were out running the course is fun with not a lot of bottle necks considering you are running through grape vines for a large majority of the race. More than half the race is on an uneven foot surface but it is not that bad that you are falling over, it will just slow you down a little. This years race had 1500 runners and I managed to get into the top 30 for this race, so after only two weeks recovering from my last marathon, I am pretty happy with my day.
Here is how Strava saw my day:
https://www.strava.com/activities/1565976547
Summing It All Up
This race started 12 years ago with 200 participants and has grown to selling out with 4000 participants, so the organisers are definitely doing something right and I agree. It was a little difficult to get to the event but I think it was worth it.
