Beer mile

A beer mile is a 1-mile (1.6 km) drinking race combining running and speed drinking. Typically, the race takes place on a standard 400-metre or 1/4-mile running track. The race begins at the 1-mile starting line with the consumption of a 12-US-fluid-ounce (355 ml) beer, followed by a full lap around the track. The next three laps continue in a similar manner: another 12-ounce beer is consumed before commencing the running of each lap. Following the completion of the fourth running lap (and four beers), a competitor has finished the race.

Beer mile competitors at the starting line
Competitors drink one can of beer before each of four laps of the 400m track

In North America, 12 US ounces of beer are consumed from a can or bottle before every lap. A set of rules has been defined and published by BeerMile.com.[1]

The current world record holder is Canadian Corey Bellemore, who won his third world title on October 23, 2021, with a time of 4:28.1.[2] He broke his own record of 4:33.6, which he set in San Francisco in 2017.[3]

History

In 1997, Seanna Robinson, a resident of Toronto, set the female beer mile record at an event held in Hamilton, Ontario.[4] Her time of 6:42.0 stood as the women's world record until 2014, when Chris Kimbrough, a 44-year-old mother of six, ran the beer mile in 6:28.6.[5]

James Nielsen was the first participant to break the five-minute barrier in 2014.[6] Since then, the record has been lowered a handful of times by runners from all over the world.

In 2014, the inaugural Beer Mile World Championship was held in Austin, Texas. The men's race was won by Canadian Corey Gallagher with a time of 5:00.23.[7] In the women's race, American Beth Herndon set a new world record with a time of 6:17.8.[8]

Defunct race series

Two national race series emerged and quickly folded, the Brew Mile[9] and the National Beer Mile.[10] By the end of 2016, neither race series was solvent, with the National Beer Mile closing operations under dubious circumstances.[11]

Other races involving alcohol

Kastenlauf

Kastenlauf (short for "Bierkastenlauf", literally "beer crate running"), Kistenlauf, Bierlauf, Bierkastenrennen (literally crate-running, beer crate-running, or equivalents), Bier-Rallye, or Bierathlon, is a drinking sport in the German-speaking countries Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It is a race among teams that consist of two people carrying a crate of beer, all of which must be consumed prior to crossing the finish line. The route can be anywhere from 5 to 20 kilometres (3.1 to 12.4 mi) long.[12]

Marathon du Médoc

The Marathon du Médoc, held in Bordeaux every September, is a marathon through the vineyards of Médoc during which competitors sample 23 different wines as they go. It has been described as "the world's longest, booziest, race"[13] as well as the "world's most idiotic marathon".[14]

See also

References
  1. "The Complete Beermile.com Standard Beer Mile Ruleset". Beer Mile.
  2. "Canada's Corey Bellemore breaks own beer mile world record". Beer Mile. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  3. "Canada's Corey Bellemore breaks world beer mile record". Canadian Running Magazine. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  4. Radley, Scott (3 December 2014). "Raise a glass, no a can, for Seanna". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  5. Wade, Alison (5 November 2014). "44-Year-Old Mother of Six Shatters Beer Mile World Record". Runner's World. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  6. Official Beer Mile World Record: 4:57 by James Nielsen on YouTube
  7. Mack, Gordon (December 4, 2014). "2014 Beer Mile World Championship - Men's Race (Gallagher wins in 5:00.23)". Flo Track. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015.
  8. Mack, Gordon (December 4, 2015). "2014 Beer Mile World Championship - Women's Race (Herndon sets World Record 6:17.76)". Flo Track. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015.
  9. Cigelske, Tim. "Brew Mile starts race series". Draft Mag.
  10. "National Beer Mile Releases 2016 Event Dates". Mason Jar Media. January 21, 2016.
  11. Callaway, Jackie (January 19, 2017). "Beer run event canceled without notice, would be runners want to know what happened to refunds". ABC Action News (WFTS, Tampa Bay.
  12. Harding, Ingo (August 5, 2013). "Polizei statt Spaß zum Vatertag am Schlachtensee?". Der Tagesspiegel (in German).
  13. Lane, Vicky (17 September 2014). "The Marathon du Médoc: running the world's longest, booziest, race". Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  14. Smith, Oliver (9 September 2016). "The world's most idiotic marathon (trust the French)". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
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