A few days ago, part of the Bordeaux Confidentiel team lived the Marathon des châteaux du Médoc from a slightly different angle: not in the sneakers, but on the sidelines, eyes wide open, heart pounding, invisible participant, but fully present. Between thrills, tastings, châteaux and great wines, here's what we lived… and what it says about this mythic race.
We tested it for you! We tell you everything!
The setting: when châteaux meet pines and ocean
The Marathon des châteaux du Médoc doesn't just cross vineyards: it unites great crus, the pine forest and Atlantic sea spray. Before the start, we went to Château Grand Puy Ducasse, owned by Crédit Agricole Grands Crus, on the Pauillac quays.
The estate, famous for its Pauillac classified in 1855, offers not only solid wines (mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) and well-crafted cuvées, but also a renovated wine-tourism welcome. You discover lounges, historic cellars, an incredible gravity-fed cellar (vats are suspended), a magnificent view of the estuary, and above all an atmosphere where wine, history, terroir and nature become one.
By the way, we'll do an article on this château, which deserves your attention.
Organization: rock-solid and generous
What strikes you immediately is the extraordinary care given to organization. Co-organized by the Commanderie du Bontemps (Médoc, Graves, Sauternes, Barsac) and Medoc Atlantique Tourisme, the Marathon des châteaux du Médoc combines efficiency, tradition and celebration.
- Signage is sharp, volunteers are everywhere, smiling, helpful. We're talking 3,000 volunteers who make the event live.
- Entertainment: orchestras, brass bands, great-wine tasting stops, gourmet stops - the pace is festive, but never superficial.
- And of course 8,500 costumed and brave runners... or brave and costumed... that works too.
What struck us
Too much... So here's a small selection:
- The feeling that the Marathon des châteaux du Médoc isn't just a race, but a local celebration: a wine-sport-terroir-culture marriage.
- The symbiosis between the châteaux refinement (discipline, wine, reception) and raw nature: forests, branches, wind, sand, shifting light.
- The care given to details: Riedel glasses, château welcome, shared meal, sincere moments with the winemakers.
- The perfect balance between the athletic side (demanding course, correct distances, rigorous organization) and the festive side (tasting, entertainment, warmth).
Special mentions
Congrats to Florian Laplanche who wins the 2025 Marathon des châteaux du Médoc in 2 hr 27 min 11 sec, and to Larissa Eckrich who wins the marathon in 3 hr 11 min… Impressive!
The Marathon des châteaux du Médoc, seen from the sidelines, revealed itself as a well-orchestrated symphony blending organizational rigor, plunging into a living show. Thanks to the Riedel team in full swing on this event, their glasses gleaming like promises of sharing (a Riedel in hand is always a good moment, right?), thanks to Pauline Versace of the La Vie Bonne agency, generous, friendly and captivating; and finally Martial Miguel, owner of L’Argelus du Roi, for his smiling simplicity, a bottle in hand, ready to share a story from the estate, a laugh, an improvised toast: Beautiful encounters. These unplanned moments carried us and we were lucky to live them this way: they remind you that the Médoc isn't just a race or a wine trail, it's a place of human connections, of suspended moments, of brotherhood around a glass, when vineyard, earth smells and laughter mingle to create something unique.
The next one, we'll do it running... You in?
