Team Cox’s marathon feat raises £16k

A team of marathon runners have raised more than £16,000 in memory of Michael Cox, Master of the Vintners who died earlier this year, having completed the Médoc marathon this weekend.

Team Cox prepares for the Médoc marathon

“Team Cox” included Michael’s wife Lynne, Peter Richards MW, Susie Barrie MW, Eduardo Chadwick, Francisco Baettig, Andres Izquierdo – from Viña Errazuriz, Alvaro Arriagada from Wines of Chile, Greg Sherwood MW and Vicky Thompson from Handford Wines, Richard Dare from Avery’s Wine Merchants, Andrew Shaw from Bibendum Wine and Sebastian O’Keefe from Amazon.

The 12-strong team joined 11,000 other runners at the starting line on Saturday, 13 September, to complete the 43.3km route through Bordeaux’s most iconic vineyard estates.

In keeping with the marathon’s “countries of the world and their festivals” theme, Avery’s fine wine manager, Richard Dare, ran the marathon dressed as a wine bottle.

Given his choice of running gear, his time of three hours and 20 mins, which place him as the fastest Brit in the race, was all the more impressive, while Lynne Cox finished as the 36th fastest woman.

David Cox, Michael’s twin brother, said: “Michael would have been immensely proud of the sheer grit and determination that was demonstrated by all our runners, especially from 30km onwards, and it reminded us all of the brave way that he fought his battle in the final months. He would also have smiled at the fact that all the runners carried his photograph pinned to their backs as a reminder of why they were there.”

Money raised will go toward two drinks trade charities The Benevolent, which supports those suffering from illness or unforeseen circumstances, and The Vintners’ Foundation, which helps those working to tackle alcohol misuse or provide alcohol education.

Donations in support of their run have so far reached an impressive £16,000.

You can visit the official Team Cox JustGiving Page here.