Run 1 Mile While Chugging 4 Beers—Just Don't Vomit

If you throw up during beer-mile race, you have to run more laps
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 3, 2014 7:00 PM CST

If you've already conquered mud runs and you're able to guzzle down a Heineken in eight seconds or less, there's an adventure-racing category you might want to look into: the "beer mile." This quirky quaff-and-run doesn't sound terribly demanding at first: Run 1 mile. Of course, there's a catch: You have to chug a 12-ounce beer every lap (for a total of four) without vomiting; if you lose your lager on the track, you have to do a penalty lap or be disqualified, the New York Times explains. More than 150 runners were competing today in the first world championship devoted to this imbibing endeavor in Austin, Texas, with competitors vying to beat the current beer-mile world record of 4:57 set by James "The Beast" Nielsen. Contenders can quaff any beer, as long as it contains at least 5% alcohol (according to Beermile.com, the most popular running brews are Bud, PBR, and Miller High Life).

Jim Finlayson, a 42-year-old runner from British Columbia, tells the Times he trains for the sport—which is believed to have been started in either Canada, Indonesia, or US colleges in the '80s, Beermile.com notes—by setting an alarm for the middle of the night, then gulping down a bedside container of carbonated water as fast as he can when it goes off; he'll also hold his breath for 60 seconds, then drink a pint before gasping for oxygen. The races are often held in the dark to flout local open-container rules and also—inexplicably, the Times notes—in cold weather. Don't feel bad if this all sounds dreadfully horrible to you: Lance Armstrong dropped out after just one lap in a qualifying run, saying, "That was not what I expected," as per the Times. (At least running with beer will probably produce less spillage than if you ran with coffee.)

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