• £20,000 ‘Madonna bra’ sculptures burned children: unusual artwork moved out of the sun

  An unusual £20,000 art installation that locals compared to Madonna’s iconic cone bra has been moved into the shade after complaints that its metal structures became scorching hot in the sun and could burn children, the Daily Mail reports...

• ‘They’ll Do Anything for Likes’: Influencers Accused of Photoshoot Beside Ambulance as Patient Was Being Treated

  It seems the race for viral content has reached a new level of absurdity...

• At 90, This Man Became a Social Media Star Thanks to His Impeccable Style

  At 90, John Fyfe has unexpectedly become the latest social media sensation. His wardrobe, more than 60 years old, is filled with classic American pieces, and his effortlessly polished style has earned him tens of thousands of followers, the Telegraph reports...

• Viral ‘Husband Application’ Sends Social Media Into a Frenzy as 36-Year-Old American Gets 241 Suitor Submissions

  Most people turn to dating apps in search of love. Arin Patterson decided to take things a step further — and opened a job posting, the New York Post reports...

• Ghost Billionaires: They Own the Sexual Fantasies of Millions, Yet No One Knows What They Look Like

  In her new book, Guilty Pleasure: The Pornification of the Internet, the Economy, and Everything Else, the Financial Times journalist explores the people who control a multibillion-dollar market while choosing to keep even their identities secret...

• How to Preserve the Taste of Home on the Other Side of the World: French Publisher to Release Siblings Zarzavadjian’s Book on Armenian Diaspora Cuisine

  From Argentina and Lebanon to Australia and Japan, Armenian cuisine has long lived far beyond Armenia’s borders, evolving under the influence of new countries, ingredients and family stories...

• 81-Year-Old Billionaire With No Heirs Plans to Leave His Fortune to a Ghost Town

  Eighty-one-year-old billionaire John Poindexter has no plans to leave his vast fortune to relatives — he simply has no heirs. Instead, the businessman has decided to dispose of his wealth in a highly unusual way: he wants to leave it to the small, nearly abandoned town of Shafter, Texas...

• Girls and Boys Begin Responding to the World Differently Just Hours After Birth

  Researchers at the University of Cambridge suggest that factors acting before birth may play a role, particularly levels of sex hormones. Another possibility, they say, is that the differences may be linked to slightly faster cognitive maturation in girls during the first days of life...

What pairs best with a rich red wine from Bordeaux? As it turns out, a marathon.

The Marathon des Châteaux du Médoc takes runners through the vineyards of France’s Médoc region and feels more like a food and wine festival than a sporting event. Along the route, participants can enjoy nearly 20 wine tastings, as well as croissants, canelés, oysters and steak, according to The New York Times.

Around 8,500 people take part in the race each year, while tens of thousands more remain on the waiting list. And here, speed is definitely not the main goal.

“In Médoc, the word ‘fast’ doesn’t really belong,” says 68-year-old Dominique Laurent, who has completed the marathon 16 times.

Most runners finish just before the six-hour cutoff. “Anything faster is a waste of time,” Laurent jokes.

At one of the wine estates, runners can sample the local wine, with some bottles costing around $100. Organizers stress that the wine is meant to be tasted, not gulped down.

Still, the combination of alcohol, heat and 26.2 miles of running can be risky. Doctors are stationed along the course, massage stations are available, and volunteers hand out water roughly every 400 meters. This year, because of the heat, the finishing time could even have been extended beyond seven hours.

The culinary experience becomes increasingly impressive as runners approach the finish line. Participants are served fresh oysters and, around mile 24, pieces of hot steak sprinkled with salt. One runner admitted the meat was so tender that he went back for another serving.

Another participant ran the entire distance dressed as a member of ABBA, while 80-year-old Michel Bach, recovering from an injury, decided to cover the 26.2-mile course inside a huge cardboard cake on wheels pulled by four friends.

“The most important thing here is joy, not the result. It’s collective happiness, and given the world we live in, we really need it,” Bach says. He has taken part in the marathon more than 30 times.

By the time runners reach the finish line, the atmosphere has become downright festive. Some runners cry and embrace one another, others collapse from exhaustion, while some pull a bottle of wine from their race packs and start drinking straight from the bottle.

After 26.2 miles, heat, alcohol, oysters and steak, the participants seem to finally realize one thing: the marathon is over.

And it’s time for celebratory beer.

Follow NEWS.am STYLE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram