Enjoying Okanagan wine at the finish line
Of course, running and wine tasting go hand-in-hand, especially when it's in Oliver, the Wine Capital of Canada.
Naomi and Cheryl’s enthusiasm is contagious. I’m already stoked — the morning is warm and the sky is blue and cloudless.
When I meet fellow runners Naomi Garrish and Cheryl Gillson by the Okanagan River in Oliver, they are bubbling, much like the waterway. They want to tell me all about the inaugural Baldy Marathon coming up on Sunday, Oct. 1. But rather than stand around and gab, they suggest we do what runners do best: jog and talk.
We set off from Oliver Community Park, the same leafy green space included in the 10-kilometre, 20-kilometre and full-marathon routes of the Baldy Marathon.
To begin, the trail is paved and the tree-lined and 25-metre-wide Okanagan River is azure and still to our right.
Soon enough, just as the trail turns to packed earth, the current in the river picks up and the movement of the whitening water seems to match our increased pace.
Comfortable in our strides, the conversation also quickens.
I learn Naomi is the Oliver-bornand-bred, pharmacist-owner of the local Shoppers Drug Mart and Cheryl is her assistant manager. Both are accomplished Ironwomen, triathletes and marathoners.
However, this time around, they’re planning to register for the 20k event of the Baldy Marathon.
Naomi is busy training for the upcoming Alcatraz triathlon in San Francisco and wants to leave something in the tank for the Baldy event, too.
The two women are happy to have another signature running event in the South Okanagan.
“The Baldy Marathon is local and the route is flat, peaceful and partially-shaded along the Okanagan River,” said Naomi. “It’s a runner’s dream."
It’s a sentiment echoed when I catch up with Mount Baldy Ski Resort assistant general manager Andy Foster and Baldy Marathon operations manager Tony Munday.
“Mount Baldy reopened last winter under new ownership and introducing the Baldy Marathon is a way for the resort to get more involved in the community, give back to tourism and take the resort
“The finish line will be right here at Oliver Community Park and come into the Festival of the Grape, which is the largest event of the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival,” said Munday.
“The 39 wineries of the Oliver Osoyoos Winery Association are a sponsor of the Baldy Marathon, and when I spoke to the association about buttoning the marathon into Festival of the Grape, everyone was super excited.”
The $85 entry fee for the 10-kilometre run, $140 for the 20K and $200 for the full marathon includes entry into Festival of the Grape, which features a raucous grape stomp, wine tasting and food stations.
If runners don’t want to wander the festival sweaty, there’s a free shuttle to and from local hotels so athletes can clean up and return to the wine tasting and fun.
Of course, this being the Okanagan during wine festival and Oliver’s status as the wine capital of Canada, many runners will want to imbibe.
The seated tasting featuring three wines and a charcuterie plate overlooking Vin Amite’s five acres of vineyards is a good place to start.
Translated from French, the winery’s name means wine and friendship, two things you’ll revel in as you taste vintages like the aromatic white blend Chanson D’Amour (song of love), lightlyoaked Pinot Gris and co-owner Catherine Coulombe's favourite Chardonnay.
A stop at Hester Creek Winery’s Terrafina restaurant is a must for its famous signature potato and truffle pizza paired with Trebbiano, a white Italian variety that only Hester Creek makes in the Okanagan. Online: skiBaldy.com/marathon.