Ready, set, hiccup: 10k runners given wine, not water

Organisers of a charity run in Glasgow are to offer participants wine instead of water every 2km along the run’s 10km course.

Wineathlon runners won’t have the chance to rehydrate, but theywill be able to sample wines from five different winegrowing regions (Photo: Flickr)

Organisers TeamOA said, in place of a thirst-quenching cup of water, runners will be given 20ml ‘taster’ of wine at every 2-mile stop, with each wine coming from a different wine region of the world.

TeamOA said every wine served will be available to buy at the end of the race, priced from £7.50.

While not quite Le Marathon du Médoc, the Glasgow Wineathlon has already attracted several hundred people to sign up for the run, which will be held on 24 September.

A 2015 Wineathlon was held in Yorkshire, where as many as 3,000 runners enjoyed a tipple or five along the route. TeamOA also organises ‘Pieathons’ and ‘Chocathons’.

“We want to put the fun back into running and prove that you don’t have to be an elite race snake,” Wane Law, managing director of TeamOA, told the Glasgow Evening Times.

“We’ve run previous events and the people who are doing the races are not diehard runners; it’s people bringing picnic blankets and making a day of it.”

Law added that entries for the event will be capped at 600 on the grounds of safety. Only people over the age of 18 will be eligible to run.

Local charities will be chosen to benefit from any sponsorship funds raised by participants in the event, and prizes will be offered for first, second and third places, as well as best fancy dress.

As well as the Glasgow event, a further five Wineathlon events are planned for 2016, in Conwy, north Wales, Cambridge, Worcester, Huddersfield and Durham. Almost needless to say, the drinks business is making enquiries about taking part.

More information about the event can be found here.