Marathon De Modoc - General running

Possum hopper

03/10/2011 at 15:08

Hello there....I am looking to do this next year and have started making inroads into the logistics of it all. Anyone out there done it ?? Anyone have any pointers on best way to travel to the town of Pauillac where it is held ?? From what I can see there are no airports for the area and you need to fly to Paris if wanting to fly, which I will be.

So, come on...any info / advice will be greatly appreciated.

oxymoron

pirate

03/10/2011 at 15:13

i just did it through 209 events

You fly to Bordeaux and stay there, Pauillac is a couple of hours by coach from there.

Cinders

03/10/2011 at 15:25

I went over to do this year's race but sadly it was a DNS. We flew to Bordeaux, hired a car (as we stayed for 10 days) We stayed at Pierre et Vacances in Lacanau which is an hour and half drive to Pauillac as I found it impossible to actually find anywhere in Pauillac to stay.

Not sure how long from Bordeaux to Pauillac in a car but guess about an hour

Wilkie

03/10/2011 at 15:41

It's a good hour's drive, or more from Bordeaux to Paulliac. I think there are trains too - there is a station at Pauillac.

There is a campsite at Pauillac, if you like camping. There are B&B's around the area too. We stayed in one about five miles up the road.

xine267

03/10/2011 at 15:58

I did it in 2009 through 2:09 events. We caught the ferry to Santander and rode from there to Bordeaux by motorbike.

I will definitely run Medoc again, but I won't go through 2:09 - the hotel in Bordeaux was fine but it was miles away from Paulliac. We had a minibus there and back on the day of the race, but the distance meant that we couldn't join the pasta party the night before the race or the vineyard walks the day after. Next time I will follow Wilkie's example and stay closer to Pauillac.

oxymoron

pirate

03/10/2011 at 16:36

agreed actually, if you can get an entry another way. Then dont bother with 209.

Cinders

03/10/2011 at 16:50

I did mine straight off their website. http://www.marathondumedoc.com/

Possum hopper

04/10/2011 at 13:27

Thanks guys....i did read on another site that you could not enter this run unless you took a package that included accommodation. Seemed odd to me but is it true ?? I am typing this and I know it is just daft to think you cannot do one with the other...........but want to make sure if you lot entered the run without any prtoblems re. having to book accommodation at same time. Ta.

Wilkie

04/10/2011 at 13:31

I think they tried that out in 2010, but dropped it again for this year.

xine267

04/10/2011 at 15:37

As Wilkie says, they introduced that rule for 2010 but it was so unpopular that they scrapped for 2011.

(Although the rule only applied for foreign entrants, presumably if you had a friend or relative living in France, you could use their address details for the entry forms)

fat buddha

04/10/2011 at 15:55

I was there with Oxy and agree - don't go with 2:09 - for the money you pay, I don't know what you get for it as you can organise your own travel and hotel easily enough, and cheaper. book well in advance to guarantee a hotel closer to Paulliac as it's a pain having to shuttle from Bordeaux. Eurostar and TGV to Bordeaux is a great way of getting there - let the train take the strain!

Possum hopper

05/10/2011 at 12:38

Brilliant....thx everyone...didn't realise Eurostar go to Bordeaux !!

Seela

05/10/2011 at 13:57

I did it twice, first time booked into the campsite in Paulliac itself.

Second time through our French running club secretary's efforts we camped in the grounds of a chateaux.

Flew Bristol to Bordeaux and hired a car.

Fab event!

fat buddha

05/10/2011 at 14:19

".didn't realise Eurostar go to Bordeaux !!"

it doesn't! but you get the Eurostar to Paris, Metro across Paris to Gare Montparnasse, then TGV to Bordeaux - easy peasy with a bit of walking at the stations

Elizabeth Ellis 3

01/11/2011 at 18:41

I fully intend to run this marathon in 2012 too. It is my husband's BIG birthday, and although he would normally rather stick pins in his eyes than run a marathon, he is huge fan of proper wine and wants to 'do' at least one marathon in his life. We will do the run-walk-quaff method and take our time as it is the only way I will get him around with any enthusiasm.

When do entries open? I looked on the rather poor website and it mentioned something about April - can that be right?

We live south of Toulouse so will drive to Paulliac and make a celebration weekend of it.

Whilst not wishing to wish my life away, I'm rather looking forward to this marathon

Bring it on.

xine267

02/11/2011 at 10:22

Elizabeth - April sounds about right for the entries, but I would keep an eye on the website from Feb onwards just in case.

Run-walk-quaff is my preferred method of training, I was excellent at the quaffing part especially. Such a pity I'm running Brighton instead of Medoc next year

Wilkie

02/11/2011 at 10:28

I last did this race in 2009, and they were strict about the cut-off, which was 6:30.

So don't walk and quaff too much (unless you're not fussed about getting the medal).

Edited: 02/11/2011 at 10:29

fat buddha

02/11/2011 at 10:38

"he is huge fan of proper wine and wants to 'do' at least one marathon in his life."

I'm afraid he might be disappointed then with quality on offer - it's not that great. the Chateaux don't bring out their top notch stuff y'know...

it will be the bottom of their ranges, or stuff that's going to be blended elsewhere, and as some of it is sat in the hot sun all day, can taste pretty naff (one was almost undrinkable - almost - but by that stage I didn't care so drank it anyway)

still - saying that - it's an event that runners should do at least once just for the fun of it.

we did the 25th anniversary race and got a useful engraved decanter as a finishing present - ours has some sloe gin developing in it at the mo

Elizabeth Ellis 3

02/11/2011 at 10:43

We intend to finish well within the cut off time but it certainly won't be a PB for me. Perhaps I should adjust my statement to say that we are going to adopt the run-walk-sip strategy

rjh

05/11/2011 at 07:50

i am interested in this ine with a few friends as a big birthday celebration too...it looks as though registration opens in february and the dressing up theme of medoc's history will prove to be a challenge!

i really want to do the walk the following day (lush) so will make sure we look for accomodation closer than bordeaux.

i do hate running int he heat though, might be a bad choice but just sound like an unmissable event..pray for cloud!

any tips and hints for organising this whole thing particularly places to stay would be most welcomed!