Wearing running kit consisting of bright pink T-shirts and matching Bermuda shorts and socks, Giorgio Zanol and Stan Murphy are going to be unmissable in their upcoming marathon race in France.

Some might consider the Bermuda pair to be a little overdressed for a 26.2-mile jaunt through the French countryside, but this is no ordinary marathon.

For a start you wouldn't normally expect to find refreshment tables on the race route laden with oysters, ham, steak, cheese, and ice cream, along with a choice of wines – but that's what the Bermuda pair will face when they take part in the Marathon du Médoc this weekend.

While most marathons provide water, Gatorade and slices of orange as roadside boosters for tired competitors, this one famously goes the extra mile when it comes to energy replenishment.

There are 22 drinks stations – all featuring wine – and almost as many food stops, on a race route that passes through more than 50 vineyards in the wine-producing region of Bordeaux.

"They ask you at the drinks stations if you want red or white wine," said Murphy. Both he and Zanol will be tasting the wine as they run, but won't be trying to drink a glass at each refreshment point. They will be drinking water also.

However, there's nothing to stop runners enjoying a few glasses, providing they get to the finish line before the six-and-a-half-hour cut-off point.

Zanol said: "They have been calling it the world's longest marathon because the runners drinking the wine start zig-zagging."

For the Lindo's supermarket boss the event will continue a string of unusual running challenges, which have included two ultra-distance events of nearly 200 miles across the mountains of Italy, Germany and Austria, and the Passatore 100K race in Italy.

Store manager and colleague Murphy has run marathons in the past and even completed the Hawaii Ironman triathlon in the early 1980s. Neither he, nor Zanol, are overly concerned about what their finishing times will be. Of the wine Murphy, 56, said: "I'll try to taste as many of them as I can. And I'll run until the bar closes."

Their pink shirts will have the word 'Bermuda' emblazoned on the back.

Zanol, now 69, said: "I like the idea of running in costume and we will talk to people about Bermuda. I thought pink would be the right outfit. It is about enjoying life, seeing friends and putting Bermuda on the map."

In his peak racing years he ran two hours 45 minutes in the Boston Marathon. This will be Zanol's 51st full marathon.

The pair will make the most of their week in France. The pre-race 'carbo party' is being held in a 500-year-old chateux and will also feature many wines and rich foods, and there is also wine-tasting opportunities earlier in the day.

All runners who finish the September 11 marathon in the allotted time receive a bottle of Médoc wine.

n Road runner Geoff Blee lowered his half-marathon lifetime best and claimed an age division prize into the bargain when he competed in the Marathon Oasis de Montreal in Canada at the weekend.

The Devonshire athlete improved his personal best to one hour 21 minutes and 38 seconds, finishing 31st overall in a field of 6,000. His performance also earned him third place in the men's 45-49 age division.

The race was won by Nairobi's Bernard Langat in 1.05.46.