Thoroughly Thriving

  • About
  • Nourish
  • Train
  • Give
  • Tiff’s Corner
  • Coaching
    • Movement Video Database

Running VIP in Oregon Wine Country

August 14, 2015 8 Comments

2015-8-14-smile-run-orwinehalf

Photo Credit: Lucid Images UT

Last Saturday I completed my 2nd half marathon post-injury and, well, just let that photo above be an indication to you how pleased I am. I didn’t even think about my foot once during the run. I was too busy looking for the right photographer to capture this move:

2015-8-14-cartwheel-collage

Photo Credit: Lucid Images UT

Cartwheels around mile 10. I may not be fast but I have FUN!

One of the reasons I had so much fun at this race is the fact that it’s located in Yamhill County, where I now live, and features many of the small towns that make up my new life in Oregon: Carlton, McMinnville, Lafayette, Yamhill, & Newberg. These roads, these vineyards, this is where I run! LUCKY!

Let me tell you more about this race and why you need to come run it with me next year! Sit tight, because I’m going to share with you the:

  • Experience on the course itself
  • Perks of being a VIP and why I think it’s worth it
  • Great value of the wine tasting Finish Festival
  • Lots and lots of photos

Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon

As I’ve mentioned before, I got a free VIP entry into this event as a running blogger. Of course I’ll share my honest opinions, but I must warn you…I was wined and dined and am totally a smitten kitten. You can do a lot of races quick and dirty; arrive day-of to save on travel and head home straight away to avoid additional expenses, etc. Sometimes that has to be done, but THIS is NOT the race you want skimp on.

Get the VIP badge!

Get the VIP badge!

This is a destination race, and if you make a weekend of it and do it all, you will have one hell of a time! Well, if you like wine. If you don’t like wine, don’t do this event. Or do it and just let me taste your free wine for you. That’s the best plan.

My Goal for the #ORWineHalf

2015-8-14-faster-wine-sign

Finally, a truly motivational race sign.

This may be my 20-something-th half marathon, but it wasn’t a goal race. I planned to hit a 10:30 average pace, run strong on the inclines, and enjoy the experience of running VIP in Oregon Wine Country! I finished in about 2:21, or an average of a 10:39 pace. I got photos, enjoyed the scenery, and experience as much as I possibly could. Mission accomplished.

Running the Course

Truth is… several mile markers were not in agreement with my Garmin. Not saying my Garmin is gospel (in fact, I know it’s not), but I was surprised that a few mile markers came well before or long after my mile splits. This played tricks with my brain. The sign below was more like 1.5 miles from the finish. Maybe the tractor guy moved it….

Tractor crossing the road!

Tractor crossing the road!

Is it “hilly” like everyone says? Kind of. There are many VERY runnable hills. The first 6 miles had a lot of up and down, but no steep, soul-crushingly long inclines. This year the road was a bit torn up at the half way point due to construction so we had a touch of extra gravel around the relay exchange section.  2015-8-14-relay-transition

Miles 7 to 8 or so had this beautiful long stretch of gentle decline and a wine aid station to boot! Bring an extra water bottle to collect some free wine for later! Haha, just kidding. I mean, you can try and see. The sampler cups were tiny sips, though. Easy to try on the run.

Chilled Pinot Gris at mile 8!

Chilled Pinot Gris at mile 8!

Miles 10ish to 11ish were slow for me. Earlier I wrote about concerns over this gravel section and possible dust. Click here to see that post with the course map and pictures I’d taken before the race. Good news is the dust wasn’t an issue! Still, I had to fight to keep my head in the game.

2015-8-14-focus-face

Photo Credit: Lucid Images UT

This is my “focus on your breathing” face. It’s not pretty  but it’s totally mandatory. I figured I ought to share this lest you think I always look awesome when I run. I often look quite silly.

The VIP Experience Pre-Race

Okay, before we get to the big finale, let’s talk about the VIP experience at this event and why you’ve got to put it on your bucket list and in your savings budget. Let’s talk pre-race perks.

2015-8-14-expo-vipswag

The race expo was held at the Evergreen Museum in McMinnville where the SPRUCE GOOSE lives! VIP runners get GREAT stuff; a whole can of some kick ass coffee, sunscreen, jerky, water bottle, an awesome unbreakable beer pint, and run fuel. I know for this race it’s tempting to do an early packet pick-up or pay to get it race-morning, but even though this is a small expo, it’s fun and worth getting in early because…wine!

Yes, you get to start wine tasting at the expo! No time to waste, folks.

Denison Cellars is by appointment only but they were sampling at the expo!

Denison Cellars is by appointment only but the wine maker was sampling at the expo! You get to meet a lot of wine makers at this race.

The Pre-Race Dinner was held in Newberg this year at The Allison Resort & Spa. The dinner itself was a great way to get to know the people behind Destination Races and learn more about the local wine country scene. This is also when we heard from Alexi Pappas, Olympic hopeful and filmmaker. I wrote a whole post about what she said here. Of course, we also got to meet another local wine maker, Boyd Teegarden of Natalie’s Estate Winery. It’s something special to have the wine maker himself leading you through a tasting.  2015-8-14-natalies-winery

Do you HAVE to buy the VIP race package to go to this dinner? No. You can purchase a pre-race dinner ticket separately as a Race Extra, but once you add up all the extras, you might as well just be an official VIP all the way through the weekend.

The VIP Experience on Race Day

At the race start, VIPs were able to go inside the Stoller Winery tasting room (which I show photos of here) and use real restrooms, eat bagels and sit down and relax. It’s a small thing, but I felt totally relaxed and warm before the race!  2015-8-14-vip-bag-check

At the finish festival, the VIP area has a full spread of breakfast foods, wine, beer, shade, seating, and your bag! This makes hanging out at the finish for a few hours tasting wine feel doable. And trust me, you’ll want to spend at least an hour sampling wine at the finish! I’ll get to that in a second.

The Finisher’s Reception is the last Race Day VIP perk I have to mention. A few hours after the race, we were showered and smelling good and sipping wine at Gran Moraine vineyard in Yamhill. Again, you can purchase a ticket for this separately as a Race Extra.  2015-8-14-gran-moraine Talk about a GORGEOUS vineyard with excellent Pinot Noir! They had small bites and we got to walk in the vineyard on a mini tour of the estate. This was yet another great opportunity to learn about wine, appreciate how it’s made, and ask all my silly questions from someone who really knows they’re stuff.

2015-8-14-gran-moraine-guide

Big Finale: Wine Tasting At The Finish

So. Much. Wine! If you run the race, you get a glass and all tastings included in your entry. If you don’t run the race you can buy a glass and taste all the wines anyway for $30. Normal tasting room fees around here range from $10 to $15 for a flight (4 to 6 wines on average). The Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon Finish Festival features 25+ wineries pouring at least two wines each! It’s a really good deal; wine glass + over 50 tastings + race + race medal + overall experience.

2015-8-14-wine-tasting-finish So yes, plan on staying for at least an hour after the race, if not more, to sample the amazing Oregon wines that have grabbed the attention of the wine world. There are lots of other fun things to do at the finish, though. Prizes to win. Beer to drink. In fact, J found his sampler!

2015-8-14-silipint

Run the #ORWineHalf because:

  • It is a BEAUTIFUL area of Oregon.
  • You definitely get your $$$ worth.
  • You love wine or want to learn more about it.
  • This race highlights and celebrates the local communities.
  • I live here and you want to come see me.
  • It’s so much better than a girl’s weekend in Vegas.
  • You’re ready for a VIP race vacation.
  • All your friends are doing it and this kind of this is so fun with friends.

FRIENDS! Kristi (left) won my free race entry giveaway and Hyla (right) is another Oregon running blogger.

Convinced? I sure hope so. I think I’ve even convinced my husband to run this next year! This is our new hometown. This race features so many of the things I love about the fact that we bought a home here and will start a family here.

Come see how great it is!

Race Discount Alert!


RELATED POSTS:

  • Oregon Wine Country Half PREVIEW
  • Lessons from an Olympic Hopeful: Alexi Pappas
  • Temecula Wine Country Half
  • 30 In Napa with Friends, Food and Wine
  • Wine and See’s Candies
  • SoCal Wine Country Trail Half

Comments

ADD COMMENT
  1. Erica says

    August 14, 2015 at 2:36 am

    Looks like an amazing race! I’m already looking for reasons to fly back down to the lower 48 after we get to Alaska in October – this looks like a great one!

    Reply
    • Coach Henness says

      August 14, 2015 at 7:53 am

      You should definitely come visit me in Oregon! 😀

      Reply
  2. Kristen says

    August 14, 2015 at 9:19 am

    Looks like an amazing race…and your focus picture? PRICELESS! 🙂

    Reply
  3. Liz says

    August 14, 2015 at 12:33 pm

    This looks SO fun!! I’m not a big runner but all that wine would probably be enough to get me to sign up for something like this 😉
    Liz recently posted…Friday FiveMy Profile

    Reply
    • Coach Henness says

      August 14, 2015 at 12:43 pm

      Lol! Sounds like a good enough reason to me!

      Reply
  4. Tara says

    August 20, 2015 at 12:45 pm

    Nice work, Tiffany! I just ran a wine trail half through Southwest Michigan…is there anything better than running and wine?!
    Tara recently posted…How to Get a Job in the #Fitness IndustryMy Profile

    Reply
    • Coach Henness says

      August 20, 2015 at 2:04 pm

      wine AND trails? perfection

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Reasons to Love Runners - Thoroughly Thriving says:
    August 2, 2017 at 8:10 am

    […] Country Half put on by Destination Races. I’ve ran this race twice. You can read about that here and here. And it is a beautiful course and the wine flows with abundance and the community support […]

    Reply

Talk To Me Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Show more posts
facebook
twitter
pinterest
instagram
Coach Tiffany Henness.
I am a scattered-creative, transracial adoptee, forest dweller, organ donor, and #boymom, who writes, runs, and believes living out my faith in Christ involves seeking justice. I write about many things, but at the heart of it all is the desire to challenge and inspire us to see ourselves as God intended: whole in mind, body and soul. Contact me.

Affiliate Link:

RRCA Certified
FitFluential Is Fitness Found sweatpink ambassador
IDEA Inspired Advisor
Tweets by @CoachHenness
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No connected account.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to connect an account.

Work With Me

Coaching Services
Press
Testimonials
Sponsored Posts & Reviews
Social Media
Disclosure & Policies

Recent Posts

  • Having a Baby After a Liver Donation
  • 2018 Year End Reflections
  • Goods From the Woods & Jord Watch Review
  • FAQs From Potential Liver Donors
  • 1 Year Liverversary: Living Liver Donor Story

Posts by Category

Posts by Month

Copyright © Thoroughly Thriving | Site Designed by Murnan Creative