The Lanzarote wine run 21st JUNE 2010 Posted by Michael Back to HH News page
As honorary Hay Hotfooter based abroad in Gran Canaria, I wore the club running vest with pride at the 2nd Wine Run half marathon in Lanzarote at the end of June. Having seen this race reviewed in Runners World last year, I was green with envy to hear how good it had been and swore that I would be there the following year. True to my word, there I was at the starting line wondering just how much of a race it would be since the route takes in about 8 different wine bodegas with wine on supply as an interesting (but not entirely) practical alternative to isotonic drinks. 
To drink or not to drink? My running feet were chewing at the bit for a good race (I'd been out of action for ages after doing the 95k Transgrancanaria race with Jo and Annie in 2009 as part of their Marathon des Sables training), but would I be seen as a party pooper?
I needn't have worried because after the start we shot across the lunar landscape, winding our way through stunning lava vineyards, with wine being the last thing anyone wanted in their mouths... until the end that is. Unknown to many, Lanzarote has a consolidated wine industry due to the grape vines which grow in stone wall bunkers across the volcanic landscape as far as the eye can see. Despite the apparent barrenness of Lanzarote, the lava stone traps the water and enables the land to be surprisingly fertile, at least as grapes are concerned. Some bodegas only produce enough wine for selected outlets, while others have made it into the Michelin guide for good wines such as El Grifo.
The race was far from a breeze; more of a strong head wind actually, and there were some tricky hills and ondulated tracks to cope with. But it was exhilarating and I felt extremely privileged to be able to run across the centre of Lanzarote, discovering parts I'd certainly never have seen if I had hired a car to tour the island. Stunning, spectacular, and surprising.
Locals and bodega employees dressed in traditional Canarian clothes cheered on the runners along the way and in the last quarter, runners overtook the 12k Wine Walk which started at the half-way point of the race. Despite nearly getting my eye poked out by an enthusiastic stick-wielding, wine-drinking rambler, the encouragement was fantastic, especially that superman sense you get when you overtake out-of-breath walkers, as if you were invincible to the threat of breathlessness (just wait a few seconds until you are out of earshot before you gasp for air).
Of course I didn't win it, which is a shame as the male and female winners won their weight in litres of wine. How would you get around the Ryanair weight limit anyway? And at 1 hour and 16 seconds for the winner Nicholas Ward Muñoz (a British Lanzaroteño) it would certainly have been hard to beat. I settled for my 1 hour 33 seconds, proud at coming 3rd in my category (even though, at 2 weeks to my birthday, it wasn't really mine yet). And then of course, who couldn't smile after sampling all the wine at the end courtesy of all the participating bodegas?
If you're looking for a race with a difference, then make a note for next year's race and check out the website www.clublasanta.com. A great idea for a Hay Hotfooters trip...
