Photo courtesy of Whiskey and Wine 5K.
The Whiskey and Wine 5K at Oak Mountain State Park
The Whiskey and Wine 5K at Oak Mountain State Park offers participants a unique, experiential race with whiskey and wine tastings along the course and a bottle to take home at the finish.
Adults wanting to run a race that’s more about the experience than the finish can participate in the upcoming Whiskey and Wine 5K.
Hosted by The Running Birds, the Whiskey and Wine 5K will be on April 25 at Oak Mountain State Park and will feature a variety of whiskey and wine during the race, said Adam Partridge, race director. Partridge has been racing most of his life and said The Running Birds started hosting their own events about a year and a half ago, but this 5K isn’t like others people might see around town.
“If you’re just looking for a 5K to do, you can find hundreds of those every weekend,” Partridge said. “We wanted to put on something different. This is more of an experience than a race.”
The one-loop course will start at the Redbud Pavilion and will feature tastings along the way. Every half mile, participants can sample a different wine and/or whiskey, giving them a total of six beverages during the race.
Photo courtesy of Whiskey and Wine 5K.
The Whiskey and Wine 5K at Oak Mountain State Park
The Whiskey and Wine 5K at Oak Mountain State Park offers participants a unique, experiential race with whiskey and wine tastings along the course and a bottle to take home at the finish.
Though the race won’t be timed and no awards will be given for finishing first, all participants will receive a bottle of wine or whiskey once they cross the finish line. Partridge said they will have the same number of bottles as they do runners, so early finishers will have the first choice of which bottle they want to take home.
“That’s a little benefit to running fast so that you can be guaranteed to get what you like,” he said. “They can take it home as their finisher’s medal.”
The exact wine and whiskey options that will be provided during the 5K will be kept a secret until that day, but Partridge promised all of the drinks will be unique.
“We don’t just go to the ABC Store and buy Barefoot Wine or Jack Daniels,” he said. “Every year, we go and personally visit different distilleries and wineries to select our favorite ones. We try to get a variety that will be good for different palates.”
He encourages people of all fitness levels to come enjoy the event, whether they want to walk or run. From couples to friend groups, a wide range of people participate, and that’s exactly what Partridge wants to see happen.
“My favorite part about it is that it’s not your traditional 5K,” Partridge said. “It opens the door to some people who would never come run. I want to motivate people to get active. It’s one of my favorite events we do.”
They’re capping this year’s 5K at 150 participants, and Partridge said they are expecting to sell out. Each participant must be 21 or older and must wear their custom wristband throughout the race to taste the whiskey or wine.
Oak Mountain State Park is at 200 Terrace Drive in Pelham. Tickets for the Whiskey and Wine 5K are $55 and can be purchased online at Runsignup.com/Race/AL/Pelham/WhiskeyAndWine5K. The event will be held rain or shine.
