Sweltering Sangria Half Marathon & 5K
Cobden, IL
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Sweltering Sangria Half Marathon & 5K is race 2 of 3 from Run to Succeed’s Wine Trail Race Series. This is not a trail race. The entire course is on roadway. The name “Wine Trail” comes from the well known Southern Illinois Wine Trail similar to Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail. … MORE
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
It was really, really, really hot
This race ended up falling on what I believe was the hottest weekend of the year. In addition, this was a rolling hills course that would have been a challenge … MORE
This race ended up falling on what I believe was the hottest weekend of the year.
In addition, this was a rolling hills course that would have been a challenge regardless of the weather. There was a good climb early in the race and another in the first five miles. I don’t mind hills and I’ve probably done some races that had more hills involved, but with the weather combination, this was a tough run. There were some nice downhills in the final 4.5 miles but by that point it was hard to enjoy those.
(This was my personal worst: I finished about 27 minutes behind my typical marathon time and 33 minutes off my PR.)
I thought I had read in the race info that multiple aid stations would have oranges and such, so when I passed an early aid station where the oranges were still in their peels and I still had hopes of actually running this race in a decent time, I skipped the oranges thinking I would have another opportunity, but I did not.
The six aid stations on the course were standard. This race probably could use more, which I know is not an easy ask given its rural nature. But some other races I’ve been in have more without the weather conditions as brutal as this race.
The race information stated there would be a UTV on the course with wet towels and other assistance. There was not, which was disappointing. You can go a long way on this course and not see much in terms of people, and with the temperature as high as it was, it felt like it was a little dangerous. A UTV patrolling would have been a helpful thing.
The swag was great with a wine stopper finishers medal, a tank top t-shirt and a glass.
The post-race gathering at the winery wasn’t much to write home about. Providing food would have been a nice touch, especially at the end of such a rough run. There was not much enticement to stick around.
The race director was great about communication, especially after the fact with explaining the issues that came up during the preparations leading to the event.
You know you’re probably in for a hot day when you sign up, and it ended up being a very hot day, so any additional course support would have been helpful.
I did four “hot weather” half marathons from late May to September, hoping I would be satisfied with my effort at one of them. This was the biggest challenge of them. I really liked the course — very rural, hills, relaxing, and it tempts you to want to run it again and post a better time. But I don’t know if this is a run I would do again because, while the swag is cool, the feeling at the finish didn’t seem to be worth the struggle to get there.