Marathon du Médoc post-race recovery walk and lunch.
As if the punishment of 34 degrees, 26.2 miles and several wine-and-food stops on the
Saturday wasn’t enough, I decided to join the recovery walk this year. So at 9:30am, after dropping Perry, Mik and Alan at the airport, I found myself at the gates of the Chateau Cantemerle in Macau. (It turns out they were the wrong gates, but that’s another story involving an argument with a French sat-nav).
I followed a caterer’s lorry up a beautiful tree-lined driveway, and parked close to the food marquee.
The recovery walk itself started in the chateau courtyard at 10am and involved an 8km ramble (for 2½ hours) through the local vineyards, and five more wine tastings (we were presented with a commemorative tasting bowl for the occasion). A great way to ease the stiff muscles, but the feet were feeling the strain by the end.
After the walk, we were bussed back to the chateau and given a cold glass of Sauternes, followed by a 3 course lunch with unlimited wine from the cask (sadly I was driving).
All-in-all it was a bit pricey (at €36), but a great relaxing experience and an opportunity to chat with loads of similarly mad people. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, and will be doing it again next year.
P.S. For fellow drinkers-with-a-running-problem, the wines tasted on the walk were:-
Chateau Cambon la Pelouse- Chateau Cantemerle
- Chateau Maucamps
- Chateau Mille Roses
Chateau Beau Rivage.
For more information visit the website.
Grant