Grapest 5km, Ocean View Estates

There is something about a fun run and a couple of drinks that just go together for me. It must be that wine is the perfect reward for vigorous exercise!

Enter the Grapest 5km - only the best idea ever.

The Grapest 5K Run is an event combining a jog through a picturesque vineyard setting, followed by wine tasting – and this year it took place between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast at Ocean View Estates.

The drive took me just over an hour and the second half was actually a scenic Saturday trip through winding country roads before arriving at the vineyard – complete with a dozen horses out front.

I was pretty early so I had time to stroll around and take in the beautiful views and snap a few pics at the photo booth the event organisers had set up.

Around 3pm (start times seemed pretty flexible…) everyone bunched up at the start line for what turned out to actually be a pretty challenging 5km. Vineyards are FULL of hills and uneven ground, especially when you are literally running in between the vines.

Luckily, this was most definitely a fun run and people weren’t taking it too seriously and happy to walk whenever it suited.

Once the running part was over, you collected your medal – complete with a wine stopper – and wine cup with a lanyard before strolling to the first of four wine tasting stations on the 1km walk back to the start.

Each tasting station had two wines to sample so you won’t go thirsty but they were also handing out bottles of water at the finish line, so that helped.

Okay, so you don’t actually have to do the first 5km run at all; you can be a total slacker and simply stroll through the stunning vineyard and sample wines as you go – but then, would you have earned it?

Once the tastings were done, you could buy more wine or grab something to eat from the special event menu running out of the vineyard kitchen before settling in to watch the live music, making this much more than just a running event.

Given this run took place in June, packing a warm change of clothes for when the sun goes down is essential – that mountain chill was definitely in the air!

The event organisers realise that after all that wine, driving isn’t really a safe option, so if you planned ahead, you could glamp within the vineyard grounds for the night and make a weekend of it.