Tag Archives: france

Sep5

marathon du medoc.

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The Marathon des Chateaux du Medoc 

is a famous 42.195 km (26.2 mile) marathon held every September

through the wine-producing vineyards of the Médoc region in Bordeaux, France. 

The 40th Edition of the Marathon:

will take place on Saturday, the 5th September, 2026, (today) and the theme will be “80’s !”     

 Key Features:

Wine and Gourmet Stops: 

 Instead of just water, the course features around 23 wine-tasting stations at local châteaux, alongside gourmet food stops.

Costumes: Runners are required to wear fancy dress or costumes, which follow a different theme each year. 

Atmosphere: The race focuses heavily on fun, music, and celebration rather than strict personal bests, featuring dozens of live orchestras along the route. 

2026 Official rules – the 5th September 2026- THE MEDOC HAS TO BE RACED FANCY DRESSED !

The Medoc Marathon is a 42.195km race restricted to runners only ;
if you just want to walk, the recovery ballad organized on Sunday in our beautiful vineyards (9-10km) is for you !

 Registration limited to 8 500 participants.

The Médoc marathon is open to all runners born before 5 September 2006 (20 years old).

Departure / Arrival

Departure at 9:30 am on the River banks of Pauillac and arrival at the same location. Race time allowed limited to 6:30 hours.

Time Out runners – A team of Medoc Marathon organization called “runners brooms” will run the race during 6.30 hours. They are carrying signs to identify them without confusion. Any runner crossing the finish line behind this team will not be classified nor rewarded. In the mid-race, any runners who is behind these « riders brooms » will be stopped, disqualified and not rewarded.

Bicycles, dogs and Nordic walking batons are banned due to the narrowness of the roads, the presence of many dust roads, and the large number of participants, as they may be dangerous for the safety of the runners. Because of the abundance of tasting stations, any personal assistance is unnecessary.

The Race Director reserves the right to ban any racers or carts which seem dangerous to him for the safety of marathon; he doesn’t have to justify his decision.

Abandonment:

Any runner who wants to leave the race will have to go to an amateur radio spot which are located every 2kms next to all the drinks bars or next to the medical tents. A shuttle will take you back to the finish line.

Awards on arrival:

All entrants will be rewarded until 6:30 hours race.
This time is long enough to enjoy the marathon even for a beginner.

  • many drinks Supplies 
  • many wine tourism activities (optional) 
  • many music band animations 
  • many castles crossing;
  • Many tastings of gourmet food

ATTENTION:  FINISH LINE CLOSED AFTER 6:30 hours race.

NO REWARDS NOR AWARDS beyond this time limit (the 3 000 volunteers who manage this race will thank you about that ).

Bottles of wine as a reward on arrival are not to be consumed on site.

Awards:

At 4.00pm on Saturday 6th on the banks of Pauillac. The prizes will be given only to the runners who are in.

  • For the winner Male and Female : their weight of Medoc wines .
  • A case of fine Medoc wines for the winners of each category.
  • A case of Medoc wine to the first 3 Challenges : Chateaux and Company Challenges.
  • A large number of nicely dressed runners will be rewarded on the finish line by a case of a Medoc wine. 

Special Awards:

  • Wheelchair runners (separate ranking).
  • A challenge for Chateaux contest and for company sponsor contests by the addition of the 5 fastest times.
  • Women’s Challenge for Chateaux contest, for company sponsor contests and for laboratories contest on the basis of the 3 female fastest times.

Charity:

We provide an annual financial and logistical support to many charitable organizations present at the village show : child welfare, league against cancer, organ donation, transplant, etc..

Note: The organizers of the Medoc Marathon remind you that alcohol abuse is dangerous for health and invite you to consume with moderation.

 

 

‘try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell.’

-william saroyan,

*american novelist, short story writer, playwright, pulitzer prize and academy award winner

 

 

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source credits: a lady of leisure, forbes, food and wine magazine, mental floss, wiki

Jul14

the french connection.

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Washington and Lafayette at Mt. Vernon

 

In honor of the anniversary of Bastille Day-

 The Marquis de Lafayette, 19, arrived in the new world to join America’s revolutionary cause in 1777. Right off the bat, he made a powerful friend: George Washington instantly took a liking to the Frenchman and within a month, Lafayette had effectively become the general’s adopted son. Their affection was mutual; when the younger man had a son of his own in 1779, he named him Georges Washington de Lafayette.

The day after the storming of the Bastille, the Marquis de Lafayette became the commander of the Paris National Guard. In the aftermath of the Bastille siege, he was given the key to the building. As a thank-you—and to symbolize the new revolution—Lafayette sent it to Washington’s Mount Vernon home, where the relic still resides today.

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“Rien.”

(nothing)

-Diary entry of Louis XVI on Bastille Day

 

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Bonne fête nationale! 

 

 

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Source credits: Mark Mancini, Mental Floss, Google Images

Jul15

la fete nationale. (posted a day late, and a euro short)

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Rue Montorgueil in Paris

 

“An enormous fortress of prejudices, privileges, superstitions, lies, exactions, abuses, violences, iniquities, and darkness still stands erect in this world, with its towers of hatred. It must be cast down. This monstrous mass must be made to crumble. To conquer at Austerlitz is grand; to take the Bastille is immense.”

― Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

 

on bastille day, all these years later, let history remind us that change is always possible. 

 

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art credit: Claude Monet, The Rue Montorgueil in Paris 1878

Mar19

stones.

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palais_primary

the palais idéal in hauterives, france is a unique structure. it is made entirely out of stones that postman, ferdinand cheval collected on his mail route.

 
one night, cheval dreamed about building a palace. he thought nothing of this dream for years, until one day in the spring of 1879, when his foot caught on an unusual-looking rock during his postal route. the rock was so fascinating to cheval that he took it home to admire it. it also gave him an idea.

 
for the next 33 years, cheval continued picking up more stones during his postal route, first putting them in his pockets, then graduating to a basket, and finally using a wheelbarrow. each one of the stones was hand-selected by cheval to play a part in the construction of his dream palace.

 

for more than three decades, cheval spent his nights building his home by the light of an oil lamp, and his days delivering the mail. he completed work on the palace in 1912.

 
today, the palace is a protected landmark and is open to visitors. though cheval wished to be buried in his palace when he died, this was illegal at the time, so he spent an additional eight years building a mausoleum for himself in the town cemetery. he finished just in time, too; cheval passed away on august 19, 1924, approximately one year after completing the mausoleum, which remains his final resting place.

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whenever we witness art in a building,

we are aware of an energy contained by it.

– arthur erickson

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credits: jenny morrill, mental floss uk