Wine Country marathon to submit new route

Like any long-distance runner worth their salt, the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon is keeping the pace despite hitting a wall last month with the Sonoma City Council.

Despite the Council on Nov. 21 denying the necessary street closures for the half marathon to wind through Denmark, MacArthur and Broadway streets for its annual finish at the Plaza, event operator Destination Races is returning to the Council on Dec. 12 with a new route it hopes will ameliorate Council concerns over the disruption caused by closing the streets for most of a Sunday morning in the middle of July.

The Council denied the race’s application for street closures at its July 16, 2017, event in a 3-2 vote, with councilmembers David Cook, Gary Edwards and Rachel Hundley expressing frustration over the many complaints they’d received regarding the street closures following last July’s event – as well as questioning the race’s overall benefit to the community, as a large majority of the event’s 8,000-estimated attendees are from out of town.

In Destination Race’s latest application, the 13.1-mile race, which begins at Cuvaison Carneros Winery in Napa, features a new route which still enters Sonoma city limits heading west on Denmark Street, but now heads north on Seventh Street and finally connects to the Plaza heading west on East Napa Street. The new route avoids Broadway altogether.

While the closing of streets was what the City Council specifically addressed in its Nov. 21 vote, council members expressed additional qualms with the event, which would now be in its 14th year.

Councilmember Hundley on Nov. 21 described the relationship between the event and the city as having been “tenuous for quite a while,” and stressed that few Sonoma residents even participate.

According to a City staff report, the race attracts about 3,500 runners, 70 percent of whom come from outside of California.

Edwards raised concerns over the impact the post-race event has on the Plaza and questioned why the $18,000 in city fees was so low for a for-profit event of its size.

Wine Country Marathon director Matt Dockstader said that the event benefits the hotels, shops and restaurants of Sonoma. “We’re promoting Sonoma on a national basis for free,” Dockstader said.

The marathon also contributes about $32,000 to local charities, $20,000 of which goes to Hanna Boys Center. However, the donation amount was called into question by councilmembers, as well, who pointed out it was about half of what for-profit events are expected to donate under city policy. According to the City’s special event policy, for-profit organizations are required to donate either 10 percent of their gross revenue or 40 percent of net revenue, whichever amount is higher, to Valley nonprofits. But the Wine Country Half Marathon in the past had donated far less, on the basis that half of the event takes place outside the city limits.

Councilmember Madolyn Agrimonti, who along with Mayor Laurie Gallian, supported the race’s application to close the streets, said Nov. 21 she was “embarrassed” by the Council’s denial so close to registration for the event. On Dec. 1, Destination Races went forward with registration, despite not having use of the streets; at the time Dockstader said he was hopeful an alternative could be worked out.

With its new application, Destination Races has included several testimonials from runners across the country who’d posted favorable reviews of the race at RaceRaves.com. Additionally, the application includes letters from local businesses which enjoy the economic benefits of the beefed-up weekend of tourism. One letter was signed by 18 businesses, many of them Plaza-area tasting rooms.

The letter urges the Council to reconsider and describes the race as “a source of good, high quality tourism that is consistent with the culture of Sonoma.”

“We believe you acted in the interests of a select few residents who do not speak for the greater majority of citizens and businesses who are in favor of the race,” states the letter.

The meeting takes place Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Community Meeting Room, 177 First St. W. For information, visit sonomacity.org.

Email Jason at jason.walsh@sonomanews.com.