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SB Voices: On blending whisky and running

In the first instalment in a new regular column from the SB editorial team, editor Kristiane Sherry signs up for The Dramathon and muses the merits of mixing running with whisky.

SB editor, Kristiane Sherry

Le Marathon du Médoc is up there on the bucket lists of both wine lovers and running fans. A marathon punctuated with wine tastings and feast stops, the famed 26.2 mile dash is the stuff of legend, attracting thousands of punters each year. While consuming up to 23 glasses of wine and gorging on breads, cheeses and all kinds of local delicacies is surely only upping the endurance feat, the race through some of the region’s finest vineyards is globally treasured – and finally Scotch now has an event of its own to rival that of its wine cousin.

The Dramathon will do exactly what it says on the tin – a whisky-themed marathon from Glenfarclas to Glenfiddich, with the course taking in a number of distilleries as its winds through the Speyside forest. Admittedly it is less indulgent than its Médoc counterpart – whisky ‘stamps’ are collected by runners as they pass each distillery and the corresponding drams handed over at the finish line – but it has piqued the interests of fitness fans and Scotch devotees alike. The full and half marathon distances and the 10k dash for the inaugural 21 October race are already full, with just a handful of places remaining for relay teams. But fear not! On something of a whim yours truly threw her hat into the ring and secured a spot in the full marathon, as did The Drinks Business’s on-trade editor Darren Smith. Neither of us have attempted such a distance before – if you happen to be in Speyside that weekend – or indeed will also be out on the trails attacking the course – do say hello and cheer us on!

An autumn whisky marathon in Speyside, anyone? Image: Iain Macaulay

The Dramathon should be a welcome addition to the whisky – and running – calendar. As Diageo’s Nick Morgan noted this week as he launched International Scotch Day, recruiting and re-recruiting Scotch drinkers is the “lifeblood” of Scotch. The Médoc race brings people into Bordeaux and its surrounding regions, boosts tourism and acts as another string in the marketing bow in getting the wine word out. The 2017 edition is the first-ever Dramathon, but let’s hope it evolves into a major event for Speyside and the region’s distilleries.

SB Voices is a new opinion column from The Spirits Business editorial team, published every Friday.

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