Who would have thought that running and wine paired so well? Matt Dockstader (Bus’78) did and in 2004 produced the first Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon.
“My vision was to produce a scenic race in a special part of the country that would appeal to people of all ages and abilities,” says Matt, who lives in Sonoma, Calif. “In the process we’ve uncovered and developed a niche market of runners and wine enthusiasts that continues to grow.”
His company, Destination Races, produces five wine country half-marathons — 13.1 miles — 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.
“We 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,” he says. “A lot of moving parts need to come together at one time.”
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. Runner’s World 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 鶹ӰԺ.
“My CU business education taught me the critical importance of planning, innovative thinking and persistence,” he says. “I also met so many diverse people from all over the country, just as I am doing now in my business.”
Randee Kadziel (MEdu’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.
“Running these races was a special experience for my daughter and me,” says Randee, a breast-cancer survivor.
The winner of the inaugural Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon was former CU runner Stephen Pifer (Geol’08), who on Feb. 11, 2006, became the only Buff to record a sub-four-minute mile. Patty Roberts Rogers (Psych’96), a four-time All-American in track and cross-country at CU from 1992-96, was the 2007 Napa-to-Sonoma women’s champion.
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