The unofficial national championship of the quirky sport of beer mile was held at George Knott Reserve, attracting 150 participants and offering a unique alternative to the Australian Open tennis.
Sport and beer have always gone together, but the drinking bit is usually done off the field. Not so in the sport of beer mile, where competitors chug a beer each time they run a lap of 400 meters. They run a total of four laps— the unofficial national championship of this little-known but much-loved pastime. The event at George Knott Reserve offered spectators a more grassroots sport option than the Australian Open tennis at Melbourne Park, six kilometers away.
Out to win: the Esky dash was fiercely contested, but while there was a bit of that, the focus was on laughing and socializing. One man wore a onesie with a duck print. Another was dressed as a beer. Runner Benny Reyn, of Footscray, wore German-style lederhosen “because it’s beer related”. He said he took part for health. “Running and drinking - it’s life,” he said. In the first beer mile race, for novices, Adeline Teh, of Footscray, felt very queasy in the second lap and had to pause for 30 seconds, but said she finished the event because she was stubborn. “I run more for social purposes and to see friends,” she said. “And I like to drink beer, so I thought it’s a fun little challenge.In the second beer mile race, for more experienced runners and chuggers, Henry Jones, from Mollymook in New South Wales, won the Aussie Beer Mile title by a big margin. Wayne Taylor Jones, a physiotherapist, achieved a time of five minutes and 55 seconds – a fair old crack given the world record is four minutes 28 seconds, held by Canadian beer mile legend Corey Bellemore. Jones won a $250 shoe voucher and eight beers. If his time qualifies him, he could be eligible to attend the 2025 world championships to be held later this year. He was modest about his win. “I’m not that good a runner, and not that good of a drinker,” he said. “But I’m apparently a very good beer miler.” Wayne Taylor The day’s co-organiser, sports coach Melissa Vandewater, who is a former elite triathlete, said the not-for-profit annual event, which started in 2016, was sold out this year, having attracted 150 entrants. There was also an esky dash in which competitors ran 100 meters carrying a drinks cooler. The beer mile relay attracted 20 teams of four. “It’s very different. It’s not like any other running event,” she said. “Fun is definitely the first thing that comes to mind.
BEER MILE AUSTRALIA SPORTS FUN RUN CHUG
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