I was visiting Bordeaux, so I decided to make the trip to Jarnac. I had a rental car; it probably would have been difficult without it, since I had to stay in Cognac because of the lack of rooms in Jarnac.

I don't speak French, and that led to a couple of problems, but nothing too serious. I was able to navigate registration and pre-race without any problems.

Actual race was great. The course was mainly on winding roads through small villages. Water stops were replaced by wine and cognac tastings as the race progressed. Having oysters around mile 20 while running through a winery was quite memorable. Also, having cakes, beef and sausage on the course was different. I Wasn't at all concerned with time, so I had a great experience.

The party that night was a highlight of my trip to France. It's worth Googling the videos if you're considering going.

I flew 3,200 miles to run this race and it was well worth it. Everyone was helpful and the organization was great. The run was beautiful and the stops at the wineries... different.

This is run as the centerpiece of a festival for the Cognac area. The whole town and the villages you run through give great support. Ample refreshments en route including locally produced food, and of course, wine and cognac; you don't have to drink the spirits, but it seems rude to refuse when people are genuinely glad to have you run through their various cellars cooperages and vineyards. Staggering over the line has never been so much fun. The organisation is very good. The post-race meal is worth having.

The only drawback is a lack of hotels in the town of Jarnac, so taxis to nearby towns are required. Good, scenic route, and the hills are gentle and rolling rather than difficult.

Well worth making the effort to do this one.

The Cognac Marathon didn't start well, after one minute of running all runners were asked to go back to the starting line and start again. I don't know what happened. Did they forget to start the computer? The course was not too bad in the beginning but it became more difficult because of the many hills. The route is nice, crossing a number of villages with people encouraging the runners. We ran through some cognac cellars, one door in, the other door out, which slowed down our speed. And the ones who were tasting cognac (really true!) slowed down even more! One other mistake in the organization is that we had to cross a railway and when I arrived there, the train was coming!! Runners were stopped by an alarming train. Security was not assured here. After the marathon there was a lunch and a dinner we enjoyed with a fantastic atmosphere. The dance floor was full so the French started dancing on the tables! For only 10 euro per meal we could have wine and cognac as much we wanted. I returned to the hotel only around 1:00 AM.

So this marathon was a bit difficult but nice.

Wow, what an experience. Just returned from a fantastic weekend in Jarnac. The marathon takes you through the most beautiful vinyard-laden countryside, the refreshments are plentiful and have everything you need. The marshaling is done by the elderly locals, the support enroute is sparse but encouraging. The overall organization is superb. A small team of locals bust a gut to make the weekend run smoothly. They are so friendly and helpful and put themselves out to make your experience worthwhile. The parties pre- and post-run are fun, fun, fun; there are runs for the kids with prizes, and an abundance of smiling faces everywhere. Of the three marathons I've run, New York is unique and Dublin is ok - but Cognac is way up there and will take some beating. Merci mon Francais ami's.

What a great first marathon! The course was beautiful (vineyards and sunny fields) and creative (we ran through a number of blessedly cool cognac cellars where we were offered - yes, it's true - cognac tastings. I wonder what happened to those who started their tasting at the 10K mark?) There were abundant aid stations, offering not only water and sports drinks but fruit, cakes, and other goodies (cognac, too). The people were great - my only wish is that there had been more of them. At times it seemed a bit lonely out in the country with only one or two people every 5K to lend support. Overall, it was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who likes beautiful scenery, sunny weather, friendly people and cognac. Just watch out for that HUGE hill at the 37K mark!

When we first arrived in Bordeaux we managed to get a cheap bus up to Cognac. The scenery was superb and the people were so friendly. When we got there we had a good nights sleep then first thing the next day we were ready to win. The organization was superb and in the end the whole race was one of the best marathons I have experienced.