Toasting rainproof runners, costumes, wine-derful sampling specialists
Credit to Author: Gord Kurenoff| Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2019 18:48:52 +0000
A couple nervous volunteers, watching the rain hammer down on High Point Equestrian Center some 75 minutes before the start of Sunday’s Campbell Valley Wine Run, stopped unpacking boxes for a moment and wondered out loud: “What happens if this stupid weather stops everyone from coming today?”
It was a fair question given the number of prime parking spaces still available at the south Langley facility and no lineup in front of the McDonald’s coffee truck, but would people actually turn down an opportunity to dress up, drink wine, socialize and exercise? Not a chance.
Not only did they come out for the seventh annual 5K, 11K and 15K morning runs, they came in record numbers, in creative costumes and “bubbly spirits” with team names that made you smile and forget that it was rainy days like this that once made Noah’s Ark a thing.
• FOR MY SUNDAY WINE RUN PHOTOS, click HERE
The Winebones — think Rambo with corks and camo — arrived in full party mode, with one of the fun gals in the group telling anyone who would listen that she doesn’t mind getting up super early on a weekend to drink with friends!
The Partners in Wine, and their birthday-girl Wine Investigator fashioned their fun costumes on Sunday. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
There were the beautiful Partners in Wine and their birthday-girl sidekick who put the grrrrrr in Wine Investigator, Fancy Flamingos, Drunk and Drunker, Friends Forever, the Sweet Ms, Wineicorns, Honey and the Beekeeper, the Sisters (nun-related), Wine Grapes and Cheese, Witches, Potato Heads, Star Wars and Toy Story peeps, Ship-Faced Sailors, Captain Cabernet, Drunk 1 and Drunk 2, cowgirls, cowboys, super heroes and this pun-spewing scribe, wearing a not-so-rainproof Cookie Monster outfit.
There was a happy group of women in T-shirts that read “I’m Never Drinking Again, Oh Look Wine!,” “Yes Is The Answer, What Is Your Question” and “Sexy And I Know It.”
There were bands, local celebrities, real runners, popular Township Mayor Jack Froese, former Vancouver Sun Run winners Paul Williams and Phil Ellis, elite runners turned business owners and operators of Pennisula Runners in White Rock, Langley and the Lower Mainland.
Nobody cared about the rain on Sunday morning as a sold-out Campbell Valley Wine Run crowd showed up with bubbly spirits and neat shirts. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
The Wine Run is a huge fundraiser for Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities and, like the Vancouver Ultra Fun Run held Friday night at Stanley Park, puts more emphasis on good times rather than fast times. In fact, there is no race clock at the Campbell Valley event, where runners and walkers stop at local wineries to “rest,” mingle, sample products, try out jokes (smile), and listen (or join) great musicians singing Sweet Caroline and other requested numbers.
Participants have a pre-race toast, a post-race barbecue and some fine wine in-between. Think wine tour in running shoes and costumes.
Luke Combs, the burly North Carolina singer who has rocketed to the top of the country charts and will play Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Oct. 19, has a monster hit in Beautiful Crazy in which he sings: “Her day starts with a coffee and ends in a wine …” Well, there’s a good chance the consumption order was reversed for a number of the gals on this memorable morning. Just saying!
Here are a few other notes from an event, like wine, that has gotten better with age:
The Fancy Flamingos made a lot of people smile on Sunday, plus educated at least one ‘dodo’ about birds, too! (Gord Kurenoff photo)
I failed the bird test Sunday. About one kilometre into the morning run, I heard three women on my heels and moved over to let them pass. Picked up one of the yellow cones on the course and, for some reason, used it like a megaphone to announce: “Ladies and gentlemen, please make room for the speedy swans of South Langley.”
“We’re flamingos, take a good look,” one of the women shouted as the flight of fancy whipped by. “But just don’t look too long, Cookie Monster!”
No problem there. The funtimers were fast, as were a lot of the people in costume who signed up for the longer distances. You’d have to be a dodo to attempt an undulating course in an outfit, right?
The sweet M-team gets its picture taken before the start of Sunday’s seventh annual Campbell Valley Wine Run. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
They were wearing M&M shirts, and like a Cookie Monster outfit, attracted a lot of questions about costume choices and how they related to wine themes! (For the record, your scribe never said I was a smart cookie!).
“We are all sweet, like chocolate, plus the costume was easy,” one of the women with the M-team laughed. “We were all wondering what to wear and everyone kept going ‘Hmmmmm,’ so this kind of seems perfect.”
Mmmmm, interesting!
Drunk and Drunker wave to motorists and south Langley residents as they head for the finish line in Sunday’s Campbell Valley Wine Run. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
Drunk and Drunker, a brilliant play on the Dumb and Dumber movie, actually made cars stop in south Langley thanks to their bright outfits.
In fact, on one stretch of road along the winery-laced course, at least four motorists pulled over and took photos, one of them asking what was going on since you couldn’t really see the pair’s race bibs.
“We just kept telling them we were lost, and a bit drunk! It seemed to confuse a few,” they laughed.
The cork-and-camo Winebos took costume design to the next level on Sunday. It would have made people in Hope proud! (Gord Kurenoff photo)
One of the top prizes for costumes at the Campbell Valley Wine Run is a tour with Sky Helicopters, so that incentive to be creative brings out some clever ideas every year.
This year was no exception and a team called the Winebones would have received my unanimous vote for the chopper ride. Having said that, I’m trying to get back in the good books with the Fancy Flamingos and Wineicorns, so I’ll be like a politician and remain “undecided” while I survey others wink, wink).
Dennis Hill, Lisa Kurenoff and Linda Hill take part in the Campbell Valley Wine Run pre-race toast. (Gord Kurenoff)
My Abbotsford-based in-laws, who at their advanced age have developed a scary passion for run costumes and going out in public, added more outfits to their weird wardrobe collection and tried them out Sunday at Campbell Valley.
The infamous Wine Grapes, who forced their daughter to dress up as a cheese slice (she looked Gouda, but developed a love for Moat-zarella music), were living large as they crushed (get it?) the 5K and 11K events.
They are both entered in this Sunday’s inaugural 5K Rainforest Trail Run in Burnaby’s Central Park, and when informed they should wear orange shirts to commemorate the generations of children who attended the Indian Residential Schools, my mother-in-law’s eyes lit up yet again.
“Wonder what else I can find that will go with an orange shirt,” Linda Hill said. “There has to be a good costume idea in there somewhere.”
No, mom, there doesn’t have to be at every run. If you insist, however, please take your own car! Heck, even your cheesy daughter is feta up!
Wine-Der Woman Sandra Jongs Sayer, who ran with Gord (Batman) Kurenoff in last year’s Campbell Valley Wine Run, texted him during Sunday morning’s 15K with best wishes and a race entry for a half marathon in Chilliwack! (iPOLPO photos)
Finally, one year ago Sandra Jongs Sayer convinced me to dress up and join her for the Wine Run 15K. She was Wine-Der Woman and I was Batman and for two-plus hours we laughed like young kids while covering the countryside and local wineries at a good pace.
With two kilometres left in Sunday’s Campbell Valley Wine Run, Gord (Cookie Monster) Kurenoff got a good-luck text from his run coach — and a half-marathon entry form for Revel Chilliwack 2020. (Linda Hill photo)
It was at about the 13K mark, and many glasses/bottles of wine later, when she convinced me to sign up for RunVan’s First Half Half, my first 21.1K race in 35 years.
Heck, I was feeling no pain and likely would have done the marathon, but fortunately didn’t agree to that nonsense. We ended up doing the half-marathon in February on the coldest Vancouver day in recent memory.
Coach Sandra had to miss this year’s Wine Run because she’s coaching a SportMedBC Fall Learn To Run 10K program in Langley — for more info click HERE — but indicated she would think of me later in the morning.
Yep, she did, and she got me again.
Arriving at the final winery, and a few samples later, Coach Sandra texts me: “Buddy, if you’re reading this, good stuff. If you’re still standing and not slurring your words, even better! Hope the jokes/puns are going well, too. Oh yeah, want to run the Revel Half with me in Chilliwack on July 25? Say yes and we can worry about all the training later!”
After a morning of spitting out “crummy” cookie puns, and feeling “battered” after running four races in less than two weeks — I did the Under ArmourEastside 10K on Sept. 21, Langley Terry Fox Run on Sept. 22, Vancouver Ultra Night Run on Friday and the Campbell Valley Wine Run on Sunday — your scribe did what most normal people would do when asked if they wanted more punishment — I said sure, wine not? So thanks for thinking of me coach!
And no, mom, I don’t need a freakin’ costume for that endurance test!
After telling this striking drinking unicorn she was the loveliest of them all, she agreed to let me take her picture. Her very wise friend thought that was a Mickey Mouse attempt at flirting. She’s good! (Gord Kurenoff photo)
FINISH LINES: I’ll preview this weekend’s busy race schedule this week as we look at the North Van Run, Rainforest Trail Run, MEC Richmond races, plus I’ll have a preview of an extremely busy October race calendar later in the week. … If you’re looking for more fun of the Wine Run-ilk, make sure to take part in the 5K Moustache Miler on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Vancouver. You can where whatever costume you want (I’ve been a pirate, moose and The Flash over the years), wear a moustache and help support men’s mental and physical health with some of the friendliest peeps in the B.C. running game. And if you’re into fun for the whole family, don’t miss the annual Big Elf Run, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14 in Stanley Park.
Gotta run …