Many of the participants in the annual Half-Corked Marathon get dressed up for the occasion. This year’s popular event takes place Saturday. (Keith Lacey file photo)
Hey, don’t go off “half-corked” in Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country.
But that’s the whole idea on May 22-24, silly.
Welcome to the 6th annual Half-Corked Marathon, where fun and silliness are mandatory.
This year 1,000 runners – 200 more than last year – will take part in the event, which has been dubbed the No. 1 wine running event in the country, according to enRoute magazine.
“Why is it so popular? It’s just so much fun,” said organizer Tony Munday, who’s got 80 volunteers at his disposal to make sure the marathon runs without a hitch.
For the second-consecutive year, there was so much demand that a lottery was necessary and more than 4,000 people wanted to take part, Munday said.
The 19-kilometre event on May 23 sees participants (in four waves) start at Hester Creek Winery at 8:30 am. They follow the Golden Mile route, stopping at several wineries along the way and tasting various vintages.
The finish line is in Oliver Community Park, where members of the public are invited to cheer the runners on from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Admission is free.
Entertainment will be provided by cowboy rock band “Wined it Up,” and people can purchase a glass of various local wines.
Munday said the Oliver Sagebrushers will be there with an “anonymous” art wall where people can purchase artwork.
The marathon is attracting people from all over Canada and the United States. In fact, there is one person coming from every province, Munday said.
Any celebrities coming?
Munday said he is working on a few, but wouldn’t divulge their identities. Some Olympians may drop by, he teased.
Munday noted the event is so enticing because it’s different. People get to dress up, drink wine, run with nature and get a medal at the end.
“They just have a blast,” Munday said.
There will be prizes for the best individual costume and best team costume. There is even a prize for best creative finish.
Munday said some of the best team costumes last year included martians, the “Walking Red” wine zombies, and the entire crew from the comedy “Anchorman.”
One team dressed up as eight monkeys and a banana.
“The monkeys were chasing the banana the whole way,” Munday laughed.
The organizer said the weekend event will provide a tremendous economic boost to Oliver and Osoyoos with at least 3,000 people expected to be involved in one way or another.
“You can’t book a room for that weekend,” he noted.
A registration party will be held at the Oliver Visitor Centre on Friday, May 22 from 1-7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
LYONEL DOHERTY
Special to the Times
