Marathon Runner Consumes 25 Glasses of Wine during London Marathon: An Account of Exhaustion

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He crossed the finish wine.

A wine merchant raised the bar for boozers and runners alike after blind tasting 25 glasses of vino during the London marathon — nearly one for each mile. The som-mile-ier’s running performance currently boasts 3.9 million views on TikTok.

“I was totally exhausted, totally cooked, but it was just such a great day,” Tom Gilbey, who runs wine businesses, told the Guardian of his grape accomplishment.

Commonly referred to as the “wine guy” on TikTok, this British individual often shares videos of himself conducting assorted wine tastings and offering advice on how to maximize your wine budget.

Recently, the wine enthusiast made the decision to take on the task of running the London marathon with a goal of raising $2,487 for his chosen charity, Sobell House hospice in Oxford. This hospice provided support for his mother in her final days. At the current moment, they have raised upwards of $16,000.

Adding an extra level of difficulty, he opted to taste a glass of wine at each mile of the marathon, taking his best guess at the wine’s genre, its place of production, and year of origin.

“Shiraz, Australia, 2022,” he accurately surmises after savoring one of the glasses dispensed along the race path.

Of the total of 25 wine glasses, it was found that he accurately identified seven of them, made mistakes with four, and nearly got the rest correct, missing just one or two clues.

This achievement was particularly striking considering the range of the wine samples which varied from those available at a common gas station to costly $50 bottles of Barolo.

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Gilbey managed to complete the run in a time span of four hours and 41 minutes, accommodating time for wine stops. He finished off his race with a toast, raising a wine glass at the finish line.

The British runner discovered that the wine served during the run bizarrely made the over 26-mile long race seem less everlasting.

“It was hilarious because when you’re overtaken by a fridge and double-humped camel, you could get really depressed unless you knew there was a nice wine around the corner with some friendly faces to support you,” he declared.

Despite boozing while cruising, Gilbey claimed that the agony of running made him feel nothing but the “urge to finish,” joking that it was a “great way to stay sober.”

Nonetheless, the grape enthusiast said he purposefully avoided downing all the offerings in order to avoid passing out mid-race, explaining: “If they were good, I might swallow it and if they were bad, they went on the road.”

Needless to say, TikTok viewers were impressed by his literal drinking marathon.

“This man drank 26 different wines and still managed to finish a marathon in under five hours. Let that sink in,” exclaimed one impressed fan.

Another composed, “The combination of being both a marathon runner and a sommelier is often seen as pretentious, but this guy is absolutely amazing.”

“Every wine label suggested that they would pair excellently with either some fine cheese or a leisurely marathon,” a third fan humorously commented.

In the end, Gilbey was happy that he could indulge in wine for a worthy purpose.

“It’s just incredible and it’s great because that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “It’s for a great charity and they’re one of many hospices that just work their socks off to make massive differences.”

While the runner claims he’d “100%” never partake in such a challenge again, he encourages “everybody to have a silly idea for a good cause and see what happens.”

Gilbey’s booze run might be impressive, but it pales in comparison to this Chinese grandpa, who ran 26.2 miles in just 3.5 hours while smoking cigarettes.

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About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!