麻豆视频

Who would have thought that running and wine paired so well?聽Matt Dockstader聽(Bus鈥�78) did and in 2004 produced the first Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon.

鈥淢y vision was to produce a scenic race in a special part of the country that would appeal to people of all ages and abilities,鈥� says Matt, who lives in Sonoma, Calif. 鈥淚n the process we鈥檝e uncovered and developed a niche market of runners and wine enthusiasts that continues to grow.鈥�

His company,聽Destination Races, produces five wine country half-marathons 鈥� 13.1 miles 鈥� attracting more than 40,000 participants. It partners with hotels, wineries, visitors bureaus and other local businesses to make the races true destination events.

Matt came up with the idea after working on a committee to bring the Olympic Games to San Francisco in 2003. However, at times the logistics seemed overwhelming.

鈥淲e are producing major sports and entertainment events, including a race, a health and fitness expo, a wine and music festival and other ancillary activities all in three days,鈥� he says. 鈥淎 lot of moving parts need to come together at one time.鈥�

With the help of dedicated volunteers and a small part-time staff, he prevailed. The icing on the cake is the trademark post-race Wine & Music Festival where runners join teammates, friends and family in the Sonoma plaza to celebrate, receive awards and sample wines from some of the finest wineries in the region.聽Runner鈥檚 World聽magazine selected Napa-to-Sonoma as the best half-marathon finish in a 2008 issue.

Matt expanded his Wine Country Half Marathons into Santa Barbara and Healdsburg, Calif., the Willamette Valley in Oregon and Loudoun County, Va. He credits his success to his education and life experiences at Boulder.

鈥淢y CU business education taught me the critical importance of planning, innovative thinking and persistence,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 also met so many diverse people from all over the country, just as I am doing now in my business.鈥�

Randee Kadziel聽(MEdu鈥�76), 59, and her daughter of Park City, Utah, ran the Napa-to-Sonoma and Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathons together in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

鈥淩unning these races was a special experience for my daughter and me,鈥� says Randee, a breast-cancer survivor.

The winner of the inaugural Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon was former CU runner聽Stephen Pifer聽(Geol鈥�08),聽who on Feb. 11, 2006, became the only Buff to record a sub-four-minute mile.聽Patty Roberts Rogers聽(Psych鈥�96), a four-time All-American in track and cross-country at CU from 1992-96, was the 2007 Napa-to-Sonoma women鈥檚 champion.