Destination Races popular event brings visitors to Willamette Valley
Portland, OR (August 3, 2017) – The Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon, presented by Home Away, returns to Willamette Valley for its 8th running on Sunday, September 3rd. This marks the return of this Destination Races produced event to Labor Day Weekend. Over fifty percent of the anticipated 2,000 event participants travel from out-of-state to experience the warmth and scenery of Oregon’s pristine wine country. Many of these travelers visit for multiple days, as the extra day provides travelers more time to explore Portland and the Willamette Valley.
The Destination Oregon running experience begins with a magnificent setting amongst the hillside vineyards at Stoller Family Estate with the sun rising over Mt. Hood. Along the 13.1 mile course runners are treated to views of vast expanses of hay fields, orchards, farms and vineyards, with an on-course band and wine tasting stop near mile eight. The final mile takes runners into the quaint town of Carlton where they are rewarded at the finish line with a unique finishers medal, food, beverages and an event wine glass for the post-race Wine & Music Festival, presented by Ken Wright Cellars. The festival features many of Oregon’s premiere wineries, a Lagunitas Beer Garden, exhibitor booths, and awards ceremony. Kat Myers and the Buzzards, one of the featured acts of the Walnut City Music Festival on Saturday night in McMinnville, will perform at the Wine & Music Festival on Sunday from 9:30am to Noon.
The Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville hosts the Race Expo on Saturday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. The expo is where runners pick up their race packets and shirt. The expo also offers race apparel and running accessories, exhibitor booths, product sampling, a race orientation seminar, wine tasting, a kids run, and 1.5 mile shakeout run around the Evergreen property. The Evergreen Aviation and Space Museums, IMAX theatre and Water Park will be offering discounts to registered runners. Other weekend activities include a spectacular outdoor dinner hosted by Left Coast Winery on Saturday evening. A ticketed early packet pickup and wine tasting is held at Coopers Hall in Portland on Friday, September 1st from 4:00pm to 7:45pm.
Cash and prizes including large format bottles of wine are awarded to the top overall men and women finishers. The top three finishers in each age category 21 and over are awarded a bottle of wine. Awards are also presented Masters, team competition, top 2-peraon relay teams, and fastest winery team. Each year Destination Races makes a sizable contribution to the local community to support the local high school programs. Yamhill Carlton Together Cares provides the majority of volunteers and serves as the primary event beneficiary. Registration is still open for the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon and 2-Person Relay. For more information on the event and course route, go to destinationraces.com/runoregon.
About Destination Races
Destination Races, based in Sonoma, California, is the pioneer producer of the Wine Country Half Marathon Series. Founded in 2004, the Wine Country Half Marathon Series consists of six races across prestigious wine regions in North America, offering unforgettable experiences on and off the course, including the popular post-race Wine & Music Festival. Runners from all states and foreign countries travel to participate in these boutique destination races designed to feature the areas top wineries and other attractions. The race series attracts elite runners, as well as food and wine enthusiasts who share their common bond of running and celebration. Current races include Santa Barbara; Northern Virginia; Napa-to-Sonoma; Oregon (Willamette Valley); Kelowna, B.C.; and Healdsburg, CA;. For more information on the event series and Destination Races, visit DestinationRaces.com. You can also find them on facebook.com at /destinationraces, on Twitter @winecountryhalf, and on Instagram @winecountryhalf.
