Bacchus Wine Half Marathon & 10k

Thank you for everyone who took part in the 2024 Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K. It was a great day but we were very lucky. With torrential rain in the days leading up to the race we were scrambling around trying to find solutions for parking, drinks stations and for the bands. In the end the weather gods helped us out, the forecast rain didn't arrive and the sun popped its head out for long periods.

Individual race photos are now available for download, they are free to download the photography fee was included in the race entry, just click on the link above. Although Bacchus is not a PB course - the hills are bad enough without the wine and food stops - results are also available for the above link.

The date for 2025 is set as Sunday September 7. We hope to open for entries in the next month.

Welcome to the Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K, a celebration of award-winning English wine, fine food, fancy dress, music ... and a little bit of running. We had a record field for the event in 2024 with both the 10K and Half Marathon selling out some weeks before race date.

If you are not familiar with Bacchus and have stumbled across this website, read on for details of what you can expect.  Although our ethos is very much that of a 'fun run', Bacchus is a still a real running race with all the trappings of a professionally organised event: an accurate, well-marked course, fabulous medal, chip timing and full medical support, but in many ways the running is the least important part of the day. The course, which weaves in and out of Denbies Vineyard and sections of the North Downs, is stunningly beautiful but tremendously challenging too. Fast times are difficult at best, but your other impediment to a fast time is the wine, and if you are really entering into the spirit of Bacchus the fancy dress. It's quite difficult trying to run quickly in a wedding dress or carrying an inflatable dinosaur.

If you are running the Half Marathon, you'll have six chances to sample a selection of wines grown and produced on the estate en route. The 10K runners visit two of the wine stops. In addition to the wines each drinks station will also be serving a selection of snack food - fresh fruit, cheese and biscuits or a selection of deserts to name a few - often to the accompaniment of music some live some at the hands of a DJ. It is those aid stations which separate Bacchus from other events. They are to be savoured and enjoyed rather than to be rushed past at speed, which is the way the vast majority will enjoy them. Far from running a PB, it is quite likely that Bacchus will be your slowest ever half marathon or 10K and you should be proud to admit it. We wouldn't want it any other way.

We don't have a hard cut off for the half-marathon but we do have tail runners who walk the course and are there to encourage those lingering at the aid stations - the wine will do that to you - to keep on moving. We don't pull people out of the event but the target time, which we give to marshals, medics and muscians, is to have everyone off the course and into the post-race party by 2:30pm. If you start in one of the earlier waves that means you have as much as five hours for a half marathon.

If six wine stops are not enough, you'll have the chance to sample more food and wine (as well as beer and soft drinks) just after the finish at the legendary post-race party. This year we will be serving pulled pork and a range of meat-free options but you can expect the music to go on long into the afternoon and early evening. One of the challenges of organising Bacchus is getting people to go home!

The Half Marathon is limited to 1800 runners going off in six waves every 10 minutes from 9.30am onwards; the 10K has 1200 runners in four waves. We use waves to avoid too much over crowding at the drinks stations. As the reputation of the event has grown so too has the demand for the places. As we said, 2023 and 2024 sold out some weeks before race date, the early start waves always sell out first.