What a race this was…I just finished the 1/2 marathon a few hours ago and I have to say this is toughest race I have ever done. This is the first year they held it and it was in a really beautiful location…Beamsville, Ontario where the wine estates are, hence the name.

I would recommend it to anyone and in fact would like to return for a visit. If you get the chance to go you should do the wine tour and sample the wines and food there. Better yet, spend a weekend so you don’t have to rush in and out.

So back to the race…in the beginning it all seemed very simple and at the start area there were cars still coming and going which was a surprised. Based on this I wasn’t sure what to expect. However it turned out to be well planned for the most part. There were few minor hitches…the start and the time of day which I will explain later.

They started by raising the banner and then they had someone sung the national anthem which I thought was very nice.

The race itself was hard, especially if you are not trained for hills. It was a tough not only because of the hills but also because of the time of day they held it. It started at 11:15AM in the middle of the day when it’s bright and hot. To make it even more challenging, we climbed about 8 hills or more…I am not sure because I stop counting after the first few.

These hills were no picnic either…they were steep and there was one particular one that was long 500m. What was funny is that just before we finished 16K, one of the volunteers told us at one of the hills we had just completed,  that it was the last one and that it was all downhill from there. That particular hill was the steepest of the lot so you can imagine how happy I was to hear that.

I got to 17K and the next thing I saw was a sign saying there was a hill a head and it is 500m long. Of course I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought, oh well what’s another hill…this has to be the last of it, I will just take my time. So instead of jogging up I walked…huffing and puffing away. Finally I got to the top, feeling very happy and proud that I made it.

At this point I had to cross the street and go around the corner…as I turned the corner what did I see? Another hill of course….at this point I am wondering will it never end? Anyway I kept plodding away and finally I got to the supposedly downhill course that we should have gotten to several kilometres ago.

This reminds me of Jamaica when you are in the rural area or as we would say in the country. If you ever ask a local for direction they would tell you…”oh it’s just down the road and around the corner.” I must warn you that if you ever go to Jamaica and they tell you that, expect that “down the road and around the corner” is another 10 miles or more.

To continue…even though the race was tough and I whined and moan, I had a lot of fun. Most of it was very well organized. They had the most water stations I have ever seen at any race and they even had people driving around with water. There were a few locals who had their hoses out to spray us and I can tell you it was needed. They also had paramedics in several locations and a few riding around on bicycles.

There were several wine tasting stations too. I tried only one since alcohol makes me sleepy and I couldn’t afford to be drinking the stuff, plus I am not very big on it anyway. Nevertheless it was nice that it was there for those who wanted to try it.

What’s great about racing is that you always meet a lot of very supportive people and on this one I met a few who were just wonderful and generous. There was a lady who ran beside me for a while and she offered me some gel which I told her I didn’t need because I had several in my pouch. I mentioned to her though that what I really needed was some salt since I forgot to take some with me. She said she had some and offered me some sodium & electrolyte tablets and told me if I needed more I should feel free to ask because she had lots.

The end of the race was amazing, seeing yourself on the big screen TV, your name being announced and the crowd cheering you on as you reached the finish line. The finisher's medal is really cool too and the logo very nice. I would like to do this race again but I am hoping they will chose another time of day.

I spoke with one of the volunteers who mentioned that they received a lot of feedback from the athletes who suggested that they started early in the morning, but I suggested a Saturday afternoon. The reason I did was because in Ontario, the shops are not allowed to serve alcohol before 11:00AM and this is a method of advertising so it made sense to do it in the afternoon and on a Saturday so that those who participate could have Sunday to recuperate.

Anyhoo…I am exhausted so its time for me to go rest my weary self. Hope you all have a great week a head.

Take care and walk good!