SAVOR: Corkscrew and Brew 5K at Chetola Resort

Over 240 runners and walkers participated in the Corkscrew and Brew 5K at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock.

By Dathan Kazsuk & Jennifer Primrose | April 22, 2017
Twitter: TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: trianglearoundtown

The last time we ran a 5K was Thanksgiving of 2016. And today, on the second day of our adventures here in Blowing Rock, we signed up for the Corkscrew and Brew 5K run/walk at Chetola Resort. We were't ready for the 5K back in November, and we weren't ready for the 5K today. But we did it anyway.

But unlike the Gobbler's Run we do each year in Wake Forest, the Corkscrew and Brew run involves wine and beer – our favorite. The goal was simple. Run, or walk, 3.1 miles and make 4 stops along the way where you drink a 4-ounce pour of red wine, white wine or beer. Jen decided to drink Timberlake Resorts 2013 Meritage Red Blend, while Dathan drank beer from Appalachian Mountain Brewery along the way.

What we perhaps did not plan for was that we were in the mountains and hence, a hilly course! This added to the challenge of the day. The course snaked around the resort – up hills, down hills, a nice jaunt by the lake. According to our iPhone's Health app, during the course of the trail we climbed a total of 29 flights of stairs. 

Around the length of the course, members of Appalachian State's football team helped keep everyone on course, and talked to fans at several of the "drinking" stations. 

The run, which brought in over 240-plus participants, was a fundraiser to raise money for the family of 3 year old Luke Sponds, who has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. Proceeds from the run will help his family purchase a service dog to aid Luke's socialization and interaction.

Luke Sponds sits on the shoulders of an 
ASU football player after the race.