photo credit: destinationraces.com/runoregon
On Saturday, August 31st, the Race Expo will present Kara Goucher, a 2008 and 2012 United States Olympian, as guest speaker at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. Goucher will appear with husband and fellow runner, Adam Goucher, to talk about her Olympic experiences, as well as how she balances life as a wife, mother and runner. Kara will also speak at the Race Dinner that evening, held at Red Ridge Farms. Dinner will begin at 6:30 pm with registration required.
The Race Expo is open Saturday from 10am to 6pm, featuring Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon packet pickup, product sampling, demonstrations and seminars. Discounts are available to Evergreen attractions as well, which include the museums, water park and IMAX theater. Saturday is also the first Playworks Fun Run, a new addition to the Race Expo. The Fun Run starts at 11:00 am and is designed for families of all ages and runs around the Evergreen property. There are two distances (1/5 mile and 1 mile) and two registration options for the run, one includes admission to the waterpark. Proceeds benefit Playworks Portland and the Evergreen Scholarship Foundation. Register online at www.destinationraces.com/runoregon
The following morning, September 1st, the 4th Annual Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon, presented by Subaru, takes place. The scenic 13.1-mile race starts at Stoller Family Estate Winery and finishes in downtown Carlton. Produced by Destination Races, the event is number four of six in the Wine Country Half Marathon Series. Over 2,200 runners are expected to compete in this year’s race.The marathon begins at 7:00 am, with a two-person relay option available for runners as well. For the first time in the history of the race, it is expected to sell out, according to Matt Dockstader, Race Director and President of Destination Races. “We have always been able to attract a heavy influence of out-of-state participants to this race, but now the Oregon running community is finally discovering what a jewel of an event we have here in the heart of the Willamette Valley,” said Dockstader. Sergio Reyes, of Palmdale, CA, and winner of the 2010 USA Marathon championship, is the favorite in the men’s field.
Following the race is the Wine & Music Festival, presented by United Healthcare and Ken Wright Cellars. The festival is held along Pine St. in downtown Carlton from 9:30am to noon. Two dozen wineries and local breweries will pour tastings while the band, Franco Paletta & The Stingers, plays. The awards ceremony begins at 10:30am with a cash prize offered to the top three overall winners and the top three finishers in each age group will receive a bottle of wine.
Destination Races partners with local and regional charities and non-profit organizations to serve as the beneficiary and to provide volunteers for the event. Carlton Together Cares, Playworks Portland and ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer are the beneficiaries this year. Sponsors for the 2013 Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon include Subaru, Ken Wright Cellars, Oregon Sports Authority, Spirit Mountain Casino, Stoller Family Estate, UnitedHealthcare, ACCELERADE, SPIbelt, Willamette Valley Wineries Association, Riedel, Touring & Tasting, RunCoach, Foot Traffic running stores and 101.9 KINK FM. Destination Races of Sonoma, California, produces the Wine Country Half Marathon Series and the Vintage Festival 12K and 5K races. These races also take place in Santa Barbara Wine Country, Northern Virginia, Napa-to-Sonoma, Kelowna, B.C. and Healdsburg, California.
About Destination Races
For more Information on the event series and Destination Races, go to http://www.destinationraces.com, or
(www.destinationraces.com/runoregon)
Michael Coat, Coats Public Relations at Michael@coatspr.com or 707-935-6203
Matt Dockstader, Destination Races at matt@destinationraces.com or 707-933-1769