Another race run means another race recap written! This weekend, I ran the Greenhouse Winery 5K with a few friends. Or more than a few, since we set our sights on the 10 person team number needed to earn a free bottle of wine.
The race course was advertised as “mostly flat,” which is my primary less than positive comment about the race. It was most decidedly not mostly flat, something that became clear as we drove up the massive hill to the winery itself.
Packet pickup went really smoothly and there were plenty of tables to sit at before the race, thanks to the fact that the starting line was right at the winery. In that regard, the race felt really well organized. It was also nice to have both the indoor restrooms and a few portapotties setup, making the bathroom situation better than many a race starting line.
The race didn’t start quite on time, but we got going close enough to 9am. Given the wine run theme, there was a good mix of runners and walkers who were there for the wine vibes.
I’ll admit I expected to run through the vineyard for at least part of the course, since the promo photos featured women in tutus running amongst the vines. Instead, we ran down a huge hill and through a neighborhood on streets that were not actually closed, which made for a few awkward car interactions. Thankfully we were running in a fairly quiet neighborhood so it was relatively few and far in between.
As I mentioned, the course was not very flat, with a good number of small to medium hills along the way. And it was an out-and-back, which means that massive hill we ran down loomed in my mind the entire time.
It wasn’t my best race but it wasn’t my worst, either. I made good time during the flat stretches and walked most of the hills, finishing with a sub-40 minute time. It was kind of hilarious to watch everyone get to the massive hill to the finish line, because everyone walked. Well, my husband says he didn’t, but I wasn’t there to witness it since he runs much faster than I do. In fact, he placed second in his age group (our friend placed first and got a little add-on for his medal as a prize).
After the race, everyone received a souvenir wine glass and a mimosa! My group enjoyed our free bottle of wine, and it seemed like everyone was enjoying the post-race festivities. Andy and I didn’t stick around too long since there didn’t seem to be any food options for re-fueling after the race.
Last but not least, I should mention the swag. The race medal is a wine stopper, which is fun, and the t-shirts are a cute design. I doubt we’ll keep the weird plastic souvenir wine glasses, but they were a nice touch for enjoying the post-race mimosa.
In all, this was a fun race that wasn’t quite as casual as the advertising and theme led us to believe. There were a few things that could’ve been better organized, such as a more truthful course description and actual food on offer or a warning to bring our own.
The race organizers also sent out way too many pre-race emails about price increases and encouraging us to get more people to sign up. I love an email and even I started to feel annoyed with the repetitive nature of these, which didn’t add any new or useful info. Still, if you’re interested in a nice mix of runners and walkers with a boozy, grown up theme, this race series might fit the bill.
If you like what you read and want to find a similar race near you, the Wine Run 5K has other offerings around the U.S.
Running Into Joy 
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