Events come & go. Many leave lasting impressions. If you are not the event’s initiator, then your only role is of a reactive participant.

Image credits: BNPGR photographers, Apex Wine Club and members, Pexels, AI tools ( WordPress)

Presenting,

A Tale Of Two Events: Apex Wine Club 6^th Anniversary Celebration Day & Endurathon 2024

1^st Event

Sid Banerjee has finalized the dates of Apex Wine Club’s anniversary dates: 27^{th September} 2024 for the core committee meeting and Saturday, 28^th September 2024 for the Main Anniversary Celebration Day. Followed by two days of Nashik tour ( 29^th and 30^th )

2^nd Event

As a part of the Wildlife Week initiative, the Sanjay Gandhi Borivali Nation Park authorities have given Saturday 5^th October 2024 to Borivali National Park Green runners to conduct their annual running celebration event, The Endurathon marathon.

{so…a four-day gap as the repentance period}

{in an ideal situation Apex Wine Club’s annual event could be lined up to be at the same time as the Pro Wine Event (@ Jio World conventional Center Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai) or Vine Expo India (so that outstation participants can utilize their visit more productively: The only side effect: too much wine back-to-back

Similarly, the Endurathon was always meant and conducted in the peak monsoons – the month of July has a maximum probability of maximum rains in Mumbai – the maximum city)

Would I be able to do these 2 events…back-to-back?

Running a 25 km Endurathon in October heat is not an easy task. That too, after four wine-filled days is a sure formula for a self-invited catastrophe.

I almost decided to skip the Apex wine event, but then Mr. Ashok Chandak started calling from Durgapur (He runs one of the most successful wine clubs in our country: Durgapur Wine Club with more than 22 couples as active members)

Like last year, he is excited about our Nashik tour. After the last year’s apex Wine Club event, we were among the crazy few who spent two days in Nashik; the wine capital of India. This time, we plan to cover any unexplored wineries or repeat our favourites from the last time.

I have been doing practice runs in Borivali National Park and gradually building up to the Kanheri Hills run repeats. I aim to complete 8 repeats as part of my practice for the event, but end up doing only 6 repeats with a long run of 22 km as the most intense effort.

I have also taken a break from triathlon practice as the main running season has started. I have already registered for Vasai Virar Marathon and Tata Mumbai Marathon. I have been using CGM off and on, which has stopped my swimming. I want to have my sugar graphs during the running season as a part of my self-study experiments.

The Meeting

Sid is full of energy and he is talking about all the preparations. We are at a new Udupi joint on Goregaon West Link Road. A discovery by Foodies: Ruby and Sid.

He is happier as this restaurant can serve him Devangere Benne Dose(dosa.)

We discuss the Apex Wine Day program at length. I get his consent to conduct two games involving blind tasting. One exclusively for ladies and one for a mixed group.

As I am repeating the Kanheri (I am more biased towards Kanheri hills as compared to Gandhi hills) Dr Hemangini Dave greets me and enquires: Have you seen the Karvi flowers? She takes me and shows the Karvi flower, in full bloom.

Karvi flowers bloom once in 7 years.

The Race day

In our home, the spirit of competition is in the air. It’s an interesting phenomenon. Sheila is tensed and anxious since she is doing the Endurathon for the first time. October heat has increased her anxiety. I am tensed and anxious as I have broken all the cardinal rules before the marathon race. Four days of wine tasting with only four days of detox/ repentance.

Apex annual

The venue is the rooftop of Orchid, Vile Parle next to Mumbai airport. One can see the airport and the rooftop has a good view of parrots.

Pratima and Manish have joined this annual party.

The first to flow is sparkling wine. Sparkling, White, Red, Rose, Fruit and followed by mead is the order of the day.

As Sunetra is scheduled to come a bit late, I get a chance to compere.

Sid covers the Journey of Apex Wine Club and its future.

We thank our sponsors. Special recognitions are extended to special invitees for their exemplary services to the club.Am

Ambali conducts an online quiz on zoom from Hyderabad.

The quiz slowly turns out to be a bit technical and Sunetra with her WSET III certification soon takes the lead.

What follows is lucky draws and our games. Blind tastings.

Whether a lucky draw or winner of blind tasting we reward each winner with a wine bottle.

the excitement is always ON.

The race

There is no excitement or anxiety when it comes to reaching the starting line of the Endurathon marathon. Firstly, it is near our home, secondly, this is the place we always practise.

Borivali National Park spoils you as a runner. Running on roads for practice regularly becomes a big NO-NO. Even in outstation travels I keep looking for one more Lodi Gardens (New Delhi) Or Taljai Hills (Pune) Or Lalbaug (Bangalore) to do my morning runs. I need a connection to nature and a zone beyond traffic.

We are very cool and casual as we approach the start line. Ghar ka hi event hai (it’s a home event)

Chandon: Our first Nashik winery

It’s a picture-perfect venue. European vibes and everything is done in style.

It’s one of the six global initiatives of LVMH: Louis Vuitton & Moet Hennessy (Chandon)

Grand, mesmerizing and pretty romantic.

We have our tasting session.

Mr. Amrut Vare is conducting our session and he has charisma and the gift of entertaining guests.

The race:

I have decided to go slow. If things work out, I intend to do one more negative split.

I hear my inner voice. “If overall fitness prevails then negative splits, If the four days of wine tasting prevail then walk but don’t end up with any injury.“

Second wine tasting: @Nipha winery

My all-time favourite place, my all-time favourite Surwade wine family

Nipha Winery: the boutique winery

Ashok, Jyotsna and their daughters Janaki (qualified Barista and runs a café within the estate) and Sharyu (prepares the wood-fired Pizza made from homegrown produce)

I keep coming here again and again. Wine is just an excuse. Their smiling faces, hard-working ethos, and clarity regarding life are what draw one in.

The whole family inspires me, so much so that I got everyone from my greater family to come and meet them just to admire their efforts, zeal and clarity.

The Race:

As I cross the first water station, I see the first commitment of BNPGR volunteers’ ethos.  Bharat Upadhyay is the leader of water station 1. As I run past (I do not stop as the race has just begun) I see the eager faces of Hira Thanawala, Sejal Parmar

At Mahavitaran Road junction I meet ever-smiling Nikesh Madhani, my last Endurathon’s running buddy. This year he is one of the official photographers.

“Kya partner, this time you have ditched me?” is my obvious mastiwala question.

Wine tasting 3: Vallone Vineyards Pvt. Ltd.

Again, one of my favourites.

Great location, and great food. Small (as compared to Sula ) but gives a feeling of apanapan.

Prabhakar Kale is conducting our session. Over the years he has mastered the art of handling crowds as he wants us to be more inquisitive. He proudly says that at Vallone there is a very low attrition rate. Shailesh Pai, the owner has a unique management style where every eager employee is allowed to learn all the aspects of the wine business.

 We have our wine tasting followed by a very late lunch along with Syrah Reserve of 2021 harvest.

The race

Godfrey Dbritto is the leader at The second water station. As I run across the station taking a water cup, I overhear the volunteers’ helpful guiding tips: Please say water, Please say Enerzal loudly to the runners approaching.

I see Ashish Parab and Ravi Jain, however cannot wait or interact with anyone.

The third water station

Veera Iyer is heading this station

Amrit R. is the official photographer. He asks me to smile. I am a bit angry with myself as I have not run at a slower pace as planned, rather I got carried away with the sheer flow of runners and the initial euphoria.

“In the next loop “is what I can tell him as I zoom past.

In this race, all the 25 km runners are serious and experienced. we have pre-registration criteria, so novice runners cannot be part of this tough race (even if she/he is a BNPGR member, her/his form and experience will be vetted by her/his coach.

I complete my 1^st Kanheri Hill and return to reach 1^st Gandhi Hill. This is the tricky part. I need to control my pace. The body and mind, have now eased. The runners have been naturally paced out. 

Fast pace runners like Dr Mahesh Kurale have established an early distance gap. An experienced runner can now guess who will be within which group of runners till the end unless someone has cramps or other issues.

At the water station, an overenthusiastic volunteer wants to spray the water on my face. I have to politely remind him that I am wearing specks and his overenthusiasm will end up in one more walk break as I will have to find ways to wipe my spectacles.

The Good Drop Wineries

A massive site. The engineer in me is very excited. This place is designed for mass production. The production scene is 180 degrees opposite to Nipha winery where the challenge is to keep it small.

At Good Drop, the challenge is: make it big, make the wine affordable, approachable & fun …and accessible to the maximum.

Sayali Phansalkar is our host. She is a great host as she takes us through various stages of wine-making to automated bottling system

Continuous bottling and mass production are quite exciting. The canned wine line is not in production, Oh I wanted to see the Rio strong or extra dry being filled in Can but could not, maybe next time

The Race:

Gandhi Tekdi/hills

It’s slippery and tree branches have come down. One has to respect the regular walkers. The path is narrow. These kinds of constraints add to beauty to Endurathon. We just cannot handle large numbers. Times and again we have tried. 1000 to 1200 runners in a combination of 12.5 km and 25 km can make the experience enjoyable, beyond that will make the race too crowded, create logistic issues and even may give regular walkers and other visitors some negativity. 

Officially my first loop is over. Now loop two. As I start my loop two, I reassess my situation. So far so good.  Cheers!

The wine tour

The Vinchur Wine Park: The Godavari Wine Park: 52 km from Nashik: Spread over 150 hectares of land area (now re-modelled as a food processing park). We have covered the Good Drop and are now at Vinsura Vineyards.

One of the early players in the wine scene.

I decided to buy a Reserve Shiraz (2007) made by the Late Mr M P Sharma.

The race:

As I descend the Kanheri Hill Loop 2, I gain the required runner’s confidence. Yes, I can now attempt my plan of a negative split.

At the base of Kanheri, I take full service of our water station, wish myself and start my negative splits.

As I review my lap paces, the following is recorded by my Garmin.

Total Time

03:13:53

Highest pace: 20^th km at 5.50 min/km

20^th to 23^rd km at a much better pace

Wine Information Center

This place has a stay facility in tents and you can buy any brand of wine made in Maharashtra. All wine bottles are brought under one single umbrella without adding any additional cost. It becomes a factory outlet for all the wine producers So those who want to buy different brands in one place can come here.

Post run Masti

The 500-meter ground is full of energy. We meet our friends and have a great time

The food is good.

The ice slabs rejuvenate a tired runner

We decide to skip the foot massage as there is a steady crowd.

Wine tour group

This time there were many dropouts. Beyond the dropouts, the two of the main pillars couldn’t make it. Ashok Chandak had to cancel at the 11^th hour. Sid fell sick.

So, our group became very small but this became a blessing in disguise.

I could interact at length with Dibyendu Sen Sharma, Captain Vinod Matkar along with Manoj Jagtap.

The Vande Bharat train journey, an overnight stay, and two days of Innova Crysta togetherness brought all of us much closer.

Human bonding makes lives more meaningful, and inspiring.

We wined and dined together, and could get glimpses of various great illustrious careers of

A young man who could play a great role in Adani Mundra Port along with various roles in multinational shipping giants.

A former Indian Air Force pilot, who could navigate corporate India after he retired from his service, and has now worked with different corporate groups like Ambanis, Wadias, Sahara, and the Singhanias.

A young salesman from Nashik who initially found it difficult to even sell a few wine bottles when the whole wine industry was in a nascent stage till he became the most learned, successful wine ambassador to the wine connoisseurs of the world who keep coming to India. He as a businessman is also serving various requirements of the Nashik Wine world.

Post Race

We happen to meet many of our old runner friends. Endurathon editions have the charm to bring back runners as volunteers. Once a year the runners come together to give back the best of their mehmannavaazi to guest runners.

Whether someone is in the active running zone or is taking a break, she/he is always willing to come and offer the service.

Till the time respect for each member of BNPGR remains as a normal practice and a sense of belonging is created within the BNPGR family, the Endurathon will remain one of the most unique races/ marathons.

What makes this race most successful is the wholehearted involvement of hundreds of runners, and their family members.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..The End